Immigration raids: the year of fear for the Dominican diaspora

2025 ended as a challenging year for Dominican migrants in the United States and Puerto Rico, marked by stricter immigration policies that even affected Dominicans with regular status. Dominicans became the most detained foreigners during the raids, which even extended to construction sites.

The first raid in Puerto Rico

Days after taking office, the new US government carried out in January the first immigration raid in Puerto Rico: on Sunday the 26th, immigration agents descended on Barrio Obrero, considered the heart of the Dominican diaspora in San Juan. Almost 80% of those arrested in that operation were of Dominican origin, and federal representatives warned that the raids would not let up.

Fear that turns into tragedy

Fear changed the community’s daily life: many confined themselves to their homes for fear of being intercepted, and businesses lost customers and employees who refused to show up. In early December, Puerto Rican doctors reported the death of Dominican Félix Julián Cabrera, 66, who did not go to a hospital for fear of being detained after suffering an apparent heart attack.

People with regular status affected

The raids also caught people protected by US law, such as Aracelys Terrero Mota, a domestic violence victim arrested in June despite holding a work visa approved in 2023 and a valid travel document. On the mainland, fear took over communities in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey: the train and the streets were “worse than during the pandemic,” according to consulted residents.

The key figure

The raids did not distinguish between immigration statuses, and the Dominican community, one of the largest in the region in the United States, was the hardest hit by arrests. For the diaspora, the year that ended left a double face: fear and deportation, but also a community that kept growing and standing out. Uncertainty over immigration policy remains the main concern for Dominicans abroad.