Journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco speaks with James about how the Dominican Republic’s border and immigration enforcement was shaped by the United States.

Sources:

Help Bring Ezra Home and Seek the Truth

(https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-ezra-home-seek-the-truth)

More than a Massacre; Racial Violence and Citizenship in the Haitian-Dominican

Borderlands by Sabine Cadeu

Empire of Borders by Todd Miller

Border Patrol Nation by Todd Miller

From tierra de nadie to terre brulée – From Borderland to Border in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Sabine Cadeu

(https://www.histecon.magd.cam.ac.uk/barriers/July2022_papers/SabineCadeauPaper.pdf)

Haitians, Magic, and Money: Raza and Society in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands, 1900 to 1937 by Lauren Derby (https://www.jstor.org/stable/179294)

Making the Dominican Republic Great Again? by Lorgia García-Peña

(https://nacla.org/making-dominican-republic-great-again/)

Marines in the Dominican Republic 1916-1924

(https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/Marines%20in%20the%20Dominican%20Republic%20PCN%2019000412600_1.pdf)

US warns its ‘darker-skinned’ citizens of Dominican Republic’s migrant crackdown by Richard Luscombe

(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/22/us-warns-darker-skinned-citizens-crackdown-dominican-republic)

Latinobarómetro 2024 Resultados por sexo y edad Informe de estudio #LAT-2024 v1

(https://www.latinobarometro.org/latinobarometro-2024#LAT-2024-selected-country-header)

Ten Years After a Fateful Court Decision, the Dominican Republic Still Has a Statelessness Problem by Kevin Appleby

(https://cmsny.org/dr-statelessness-problem-appleby-102323/)

Addressing the Next Displacement Crisis in the Making in the Americas by Valerie Lacarte (https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/haiti-next-displacement-crisis-americas)

‘They grabbed us like dogs’: deportation quotas tear Haitian migrants’ lives apart by Shandra Back

(https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/07/they-grabbed-us-like-dogs-deportation-quotas-tear-haitian-migrants-lives-apart)

Federal Agents Investigate Sugar Exporter Over Allegations of Forced Labor

(https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/central-romana-homeland-security-sugar/)

“They Just Came and Started Breaking Houses”

(https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/12/central-romana-sugar-hoyo-de-puerco-demolished/)

Despite US Import Ban, Sugar Cane Cutters Still Face Abuse in Dominican Republic

(https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/despite-us-import-ban-sugar-cane-cutters-still-face-abuse-in-dominican-republic/)

10 years fighting for nationality in the Dominican Republic

(https://www.institutesi.org/news/10-year-anniversary-of-dr-court-ruling-stripping-nationality)

LEA Training Schedule 2024

(https://sansalvador.ilea.state.gov/training-schedule?c=fr-FR)

International students graduate from elite federal law enforcement program

(https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/international-students-graduate-elite-federal-law-enforcement-program)

Dominican Republic students graduate from elite US law enforcement program

(https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dominican-republic-students-graduate-elite-us-law-enforcement-program)

El misterio de Ellen Frances Hulett | El Informe con Alicia Ortega

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKIg2np081M)

How Far Will the Dominican Republic Go in Deporting Haitians? by Marius Loiseau

(https://inkstickmedia.com/how-far-will-the-dominican-republic-go-in-deporting-haitians/)

Fearing Deportation, Mothers Give Birth in Shadows by Hogla Enecia Pérez and Luis Ferré-Sadurní

(https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/world/americas/dominican-republic-haiti-hospital-deportations.html)

Dominican Republic and Haiti at the Crossroads of the Massacre River by Simón Rodríguez (https://nacla.org/dominican-republic-and-haiti-crossroads-massacre-river/)

US team reveals weaknesses at the Dominican-Haiti border

(https://web.archive.org/web/20110526044642/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/7/16173/US-team-reveals-weaknesses-at-the-Dominican-Haiti-border)

Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti

(https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dominican-republic-begins-building-border-wall-with-haiti-2022-02-20/)

A 101-Mile Wall Goes Up to Block Haitians Pouring Over Border by Danielle Balbi

(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-09-28/big-take-why-the-dominican-republic-is-building-a-border-wall-between-haiti?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg)

“A Veil of Legality” by Amelia Hintzen

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1382237316000234)

Dominican border wall threatens environment, mangroves by Esteban ROJAS

(https://phys.org/news/2023-03-dominican-border-wall-threatens-environment.html)

Dominican Republic deports pregnant women in ‘inhumane’ migrant crackdown

(https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/29/pregnant-women-deported-dominican-republic-migration-crackdown-haiti)

La muerte de Ellen Frances Hulett se debió a infartos agudos al miocardio, confirma autopsia

(https://noticiassin.com/la-muerte-de-ellen-frances-hulett-se-debio-a-infartos-agudos-al-miocardio-confirma-autopsia/)

La muerte de la estadounidense Ellen Hulett: una cadena de preguntas sin respuestas by Ana A, Elina M (https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/sucesos/2025/07/03/muerte-de-ellen-hulett-una-cadena-de-preguntas-sin-respuestas/3170413)

Alert: Ongoing Dominican Migration Enforcement

(https://do.usembassy.gov/alert-ongoing-dominican-migration-enforcement/)

87 Aniversario de la Dirección General de Migración

(https://migracion.gob.do/87-aniversario-de-la-direccion-general-de-migracion/)

Haitians displaced by violence face deportation after fleeing to Dominican Republic

(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/haitians-displaced-by-violence-face-deportation-after-fleeing-to-dominican-republic)

Journalist Carlos Berr&iacute;os Polanco speaks with James about how the Dominican Republic&rsquo;s border and immigration enforcement was shaped by the United States.
Sources:
Help Bring Ezra Home and Seek the Truth
(<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-ezra-home-seek-the-truth">https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-ezra-home-seek-the-truth</a>)
More than a Massacre; Racial Violence and Citizenship in the Haitian-Dominican
Borderlands by Sabine Cadeu
Empire of Borders by Todd Miller
Border Patrol Nation by Todd Miller
From tierra de nadie to terre brul&eacute;e &ndash; From Borderland to Border in Haiti and the&nbsp;Dominican Republic by Sabine Cadeu
(<a href="https://www.histecon.magd.cam.ac.uk/barriers/July2022_papers/SabineCadeauPaper.pdf">https://www.histecon.magd.cam.ac.uk/barriers/July2022_papers/SabineCadeauPaper.pdf</a>)
Haitians, Magic, and Money: Raza and Society in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands,&nbsp;1900 to 1937 by Lauren Derby (<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/179294">https://www.jstor.org/stable/179294</a>)
Making the Dominican Republic Great Again? by Lorgia Garc&iacute;a-Pe&ntilde;a
(<a href="https://nacla.org/making-dominican-republic-great-again/">https://nacla.org/making-dominican-republic-great-again/</a>)
Marines in the Dominican Republic 1916-1924
(<a href="https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/Marines%20in%20the%20Dominican%20Republic%20PCN%2019000412600_1.pdf">https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/Marines%20in%20the%20Dominican%20Republic%20PCN%2019000412600_1.pdf</a>)
US warns its &lsquo;darker-skinned&rsquo; citizens of Dominican Republic&rsquo;s migrant crackdown by&nbsp;Richard Luscombe
(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/22/us-warns-darker-skinned-citizens-crackdown-dominican-republic">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/22/us-warns-darker-skinned-citizens-crackdown-dominican-republic</a>)
Latinobar&oacute;metro 2024 Resultados por sexo y edad Informe de estudio #LAT-2024 v1
(<a href="https://www.latinobarometro.org/latinobarometro-2024#LAT-2024-selected-country-header">https://www.latinobarometro.org/latinobarometro-2024#LAT-2024-selected-country-header</a>)
Ten Years After a Fateful Court Decision, the Dominican Republic Still Has a&nbsp;Statelessness Problem by Kevin Appleby
(<a href="https://cmsny.org/dr-statelessness-problem-appleby-102323/">https://cmsny.org/dr-statelessness-problem-appleby-102323/</a>)
Addressing the Next Displacement Crisis in the Making in the Americas by Valerie&nbsp;Lacarte (<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/haiti-next-displacement-crisis-americas">https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/haiti-next-displacement-crisis-americas</a>)
&lsquo;They grabbed us like dogs&rsquo;: deportation quotas tear Haitian migrants&rsquo; lives apart by Shandra Back
(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/07/they-grabbed-us-like-dogs-deportation-quotas-tear-haitian-migrants-lives-apart">https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/07/they-grabbed-us-like-dogs-deportation-quotas-tear-haitian-migrants-lives-apart</a>)
Federal Agents Investigate Sugar Exporter Over Allegations of Forced Labor
(<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/central-romana-homeland-security-sugar/">https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/central-romana-homeland-security-sugar/</a>)
&ldquo;They Just Came and Started Breaking Houses&rdquo;
(<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/12/central-romana-sugar-hoyo-de-puerco-demolished/">https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/12/central-romana-sugar-hoyo-de-puerco-demolished/</a>)
Despite US Import Ban, Sugar Cane Cutters Still Face Abuse in Dominican Republic
(<a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/despite-us-import-ban-sugar-cane-cutters-still-face-abuse-in-dominican-republic/">https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/despite-us-import-ban-sugar-cane-cutters-still-face-abuse-in-dominican-republic/</a>)
10 years fighting for nationality in the Dominican Republic
(<a href="https://www.institutesi.org/news/10-year-anniversary-of-dr-court-ruling-stripping-nationality">https://www.institutesi.org/news/10-year-anniversary-of-dr-court-ruling-stripping-nationality</a>)
LEA Training Schedule 2024
(<a href="https://sansalvador.ilea.state.gov/training-schedule?c=fr-FR">https://sansalvador.ilea.state.gov/training-schedule?c=fr-FR</a>)
International students graduate from elite federal law enforcement program
(<a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/international-students-graduate-elite-federal-law-enforcement-program)">https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/international-students-graduate-elite-federal-law-enforcement-program)</a>
Dominican Republic students graduate from elite US law enforcement program
(<a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dominican-republic-students-graduate-elite-us-law-enforcement-program">https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dominican-republic-students-graduate-elite-us-law-enforcement-program</a>)
El misterio de Ellen Frances Hulett | El Informe con Alicia Ortega
(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKIg2np081M">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKIg2np081M</a>)
How Far Will the Dominican Republic Go in Deporting Haitians? by Marius Loiseau
(<a href="https://inkstickmedia.com/how-far-will-the-dominican-republic-go-in-deporting-haitians/">https://inkstickmedia.com/how-far-will-the-dominican-republic-go-in-deporting-haitians/</a>)
Fearing Deportation, Mothers Give Birth in Shadows by Hogla Enecia P&eacute;rez and Luis Ferr&eacute;-Sadurn&iacute;
(<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/world/americas/dominican-republic-haiti-hospital-deportations.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/world/americas/dominican-republic-haiti-hospital-deportations.html</a>)
Dominican Republic and Haiti at the Crossroads of the Massacre River by Sim&oacute;n Rodr&iacute;guez (<a href="https://nacla.org/dominican-republic-and-haiti-crossroads-massacre-river/">https://nacla.org/dominican-republic-and-haiti-crossroads-massacre-river/</a>)
US team reveals weaknesses at the Dominican-Haiti border
(<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110526044642/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/7/16173/US-team-reveals-weaknesses-at-the-Dominican-Haiti-border">https://web.archive.org/web/20110526044642/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/7/16173/US-team-reveals-weaknesses-at-the-Dominican-Haiti-border</a>)
Dominican Republic begins building border wall with Haiti
(<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dominican-republic-begins-building-border-wall-with-haiti-2022-02-20/">https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dominican-republic-begins-building-border-wall-with-haiti-2022-02-20/</a>)
A 101-Mile Wall Goes Up to Block Haitians Pouring Over Border by Danielle Balbi
(<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-09-28/big-take-why-the-dominican-republic-is-building-a-border-wall-between-haiti?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-09-28/big-take-why-the-dominican-republic-is-building-a-border-wall-between-haiti?embedded-checkout=true#xj4y7vzkg</a>)
&ldquo;A Veil of Legality&rdquo; by Amelia Hintzen
(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1382237316000234">https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1382237316000234</a>)
Dominican border wall threatens environment, mangroves by Esteban ROJAS
(<a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-03-dominican-border-wall-threatens-environment.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-03-dominican-border-wall-threatens-environment.html</a>)
Dominican Republic deports pregnant women in &lsquo;inhumane&rsquo; migrant crackdown
(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/29/pregnant-women-deported-dominican-republic-migration-crackdown-haiti">https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/29/pregnant-women-deported-dominican-republic-migration-crackdown-haiti</a>)
La muerte de Ellen Frances Hulett se debi&oacute; a infartos agudos al miocardio, confirma&nbsp;autopsia
(<a href="https://noticiassin.com/la-muerte-de-ellen-frances-hulett-se-debio-a-infartos-agudos-al-miocardio-confirma-autopsia/">https://noticiassin.com/la-muerte-de-ellen-frances-hulett-se-debio-a-infartos-agudos-al-miocardio-confirma-autopsia/</a>)
La muerte de la estadounidense Ellen Hulett: una cadena de preguntas sin respuestas&nbsp;by Ana A, Elina M (<a href="https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/sucesos/2025/07/03/muerte-de-ellen-hulett-una-cadena-de-preguntas-sin-respuestas/3170413">https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/sucesos/2025/07/03/muerte-de-ellen-hulett-una-cadena-de-preguntas-sin-respuestas/3170413</a>)
Alert: Ongoing Dominican Migration Enforcement
(<a href="https://do.usembassy.gov/alert-ongoing-dominican-migration-enforcement/">https://do.usembassy.gov/alert-ongoing-dominican-migration-enforcement/</a>)
87 Aniversario de la Direcci&oacute;n General de Migraci&oacute;n
(<a href="https://migracion.gob.do/87-aniversario-de-la-direccion-general-de-migracion/">https://migracion.gob.do/87-aniversario-de-la-direccion-general-de-migracion/</a>)
Haitians displaced by violence face deportation after fleeing to Dominican Republic
(<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/haitians-displaced-by-violence-face-deportation-after-fleeing-to-dominican-republic">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/haitians-displaced-by-violence-face-deportation-after-fleeing-to-dominican-republic</a>)

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here

How the United States Shaped the Dominican Republic’s Immigration Enforcement Machine

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d712608-5dc2-45b1-83cb-b4690128fafb/transcript