Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the National Congress in Santo Domingo to protest a proposed government plan to regularize undocumented foreign workers — most of whom are Haitian.

The protest was led by the ultra-nationalist group La Antigua Orden Dominicana (The Ancient Dominican Order), which accuses the government of yielding to business interests at the expense of Dominican workers.

“Why are business owners advocating for a new regularization of Haitians?” asked Ángelo Vásquez, the group’s president. “Because that way they don't pay taxes, they don’t have to insure them. They prefer to Haitianize the country than pay a decent wage to the Dominican people, and we cannot allow that.”

Protesters carried signs reading “Diaspora present. We don’t want to be foreigners in our own country” and “No more Haitian regulation.”

Ruth García, another member of the group, insisted the protests were not driven by xenophobia. “It's not that we're xenophobic, we're just tired of Dominicans being denied opportunities that are given to Haitians,” she said.

The Dominican government has pledged to deport up to 10,000 undocumented Haitians per week, claiming the influx has strained public services. Officials say over 80,000 Haitian students have entered the public school system in recent years, and that Haitian women make up the majority of births in the country — placing added pressure on the national health budget.

Currently, an estimated 500,000 Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, which has a population of around 11 million.