The Other Border: Unauthorized Immigration to Puerto Rico

The other border has no fence to divide it. There are no bridges to cross or checkpoints to be checked at. There’s no desert to lose oneself in. The other border is a 60 mile stretch of ocean between the island of Hispaniola – shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti – and the US commonwealth of Puerto Rico, known as the Mona Passage. The Mona Passage is the main route for unauthorized immigration to Puerto Rico, mostly from the Dominican Republic. The migrants are brought over by smugglers in small wooden boats called yolas. Each boat can be packed with 100 people or more.