What’s next for a crackdown on Haitian migrants as the Dominican Republic leader enters a new term?

SANTO DOMINGO (AP) — After Dominican President Luis Abinader coasted into a second term over the weekend, he promised in a nationalistic speech that “the best is yet to come.”

But as one of the region’s most popular leaders spoke of economic prosperity and constitutional reforms, he notably left one thing out: the crisis in neighboring Haiti. The Dominican Republic has long taken a hard-line stance with Haitian migrants, but harsh crackdowns have increased in recent years as Haiti’s spiraling gang violence drives people to flee. Analysts like Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, say Abinader has used the crisis as a political tool to “play on people’s fears.” “Most Dominicans overwhelmingly believe that Abinader has done a good job. … They’re not prepared to take a risk on somebody else,” Shifter said. “His very hard-line, nationalistic posture on Haiti, while it’s not the only reason he won, it has lifted and cemented his political support.”