The Dominican-Haitian border has always been at the center of diplomatic relations between the two nations, with irregular migration flows being a contentious issue for both sides.
For this reason, the need to improve supervision of the island’s dividing line has been a common topic for the Dominican authorities. The Luis Abinader government has already proposed an alternative to the problem: modernize the border by creating a kind of “technological perimeter” to stop the illegal entry of undocumented migrants along the dividing line.
This idea was touched upon by the Chancellor of the Republic, Roberto Álvarez, while reading the points agreed upon by Presidents Luis Abinader and Jovenel Moise after the meeting they held two weeks ago. There, Álvarez was simply referring to the commitment of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to deploy “advanced technologies” that enable us to eliminate the scourge that is the illegal transfer of people from one neighboring country to another.
Later, while attending the Listin Diario breakfast, the official explained that the Israeli company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is designing a pilot project to create a technological perimeter at the border.
But what is the Rafael story? Rafael, (also known as Raphael, acronym in Hebrew for Armaments Development Authority), is a defense technology company with roots in Israel’s Ministry of Defense over 70 years ago.
It was established as that country’s National Research and Development Laboratory to strengthen defenses and improve the army’s weapons. At the beginning of the new millennium, it was restructured as a state-owned company, after operating with losses of millions of dollars in the 1990s.
How does it work? “The company is at the forefront of advancements in defense, cybernetics and security solutions for air, land, sea and space,” states the company’s portal, highlighting its comprehensive service catalog. With regard to border security, Rafael offers its services under various modalities, including the Sisdome, a “tailor-made border defense suite”, which, according to Rafael, allows users to identify potential threats that arise at the border.
Among the advantages of this system is the real-time gathering of information from a specific area, 24-hour monitoring and the great adaptability of the system to the whims of the operator.
There is also the SISCOM, defined as “the heart of Rafael’s security solutions and systems”, this system provides protection not only at borders, but also for energy supplies, seaports, coasts and offshore locations.
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Despite the many possibilities Rafael offers in the field of border defense, the Secretary of State said the success of the project will be determined by the human quality controlled by technology.
“Because if you don’t have someone who when there’s a breakup … that’s where you need the right human response,” he said. In addition to the technological influx at the border, the agreement between Haiti and the Dominican Republic aims to reduce trade and human trafficking, arms flows, drug trafficking and livestock theft, among other illegal activities.