Dominican Republic arrests pregnant women and children in crackdown

The Dominican Republic says it has arrested more than 130 Haitian women and children on the first day of a crackdown of undocumented migrants in Santo Domingo's hospitals.

Many of the women arrested on Monday were pregnant and others had recently given birth.

The crackdown is part of the government's plan announced last year to deport up to 10,000 undocumented migrants a week to stem migration from neighbouring Haiti.

President Luis Abinader's government, however, has been criticised for its harsh treatment of Haitian migrants as many are fleeing extreme gang violence and poverty in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The immigration department said the women were "offered dignified treatment" after being taken to a detention centre where their biometric data and fingerprints were recorded.

A Haitian woman who had accompanied her pregnant friend to the hospital said the government's actions will cause uncertainty for pregnant women in need of care.

"If a woman gave birth today, they can't take her today, because they don't know what will happen. And if she has a C-section, they don't know what is going to happen either, because there is never a doctor with her to assist if something happens on the road, with the baby or with her," she said.

Authorities said the women will receive medical treatment and any undocumented mothers will be repatriated.

Many Haitians have been crossing the shared border with the Dominican Republic to escape escalating violence and hunger, sometimes in several truckloads per day.

To clamp down those numbers, the Dominican Republic has deported more than 80,000 people to Haiti in the first three months of this year, according to AFP news agency.

President Abinader's government has previously voiced its frustration at the international community's failure to restore stability to Haiti.