SANTO DOMINGO, 21 February 2022, (TON): The Dominican government began building a wall that will cover more than half of the 392-kilometer (244 miles) border with Haiti, its only land neighbor, to stop irregular migration and the smuggling of goods, weapons and drugs.

While the two countries share the island of Hispaniola, they are worlds apart in terms of development. Crime-plagued Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the Americas while the Dominican Republic, a popular Caribbean tourist destination, has prospered in recent decades amid marked political stability.

Many Haitians cross the border clandestinely in search of work in the fields or in the construction industry in the Dominican Republic.

About 500,000 Haitians and tens of thousands of their descendents live in the Dominican Republic, a Spanish-speaking nation of about 11 million people, according to the most recent immigration survey conducted in 2018.

Abinader estimated the border wall will reduce the smuggling of commercial goods, weapons and help fight organized crime in both nations.