The Dominican Republic is the leading country of origin of unauthorised migrants from the Caribbean. Close to 2 million Dominicans – approximately one-fifth of the entire population – and their descendants are now thought to live in the United States. This constitutes the fifth largest Latino group in the United States with most migrants settling in New York or Miami. While a limited number of Dominicans and Haitians arrive via boat under highly perilous circumstances, the majority land in the United States with a commercial airline having acquired a passport and tourist visa. A proportion of these migrants eventually become illegal over-stayers when their documents expire and they are then forced to remain – undetected – in the country.

Until recently, the undocumented status of Dominicans living overseas meant that many were hesitant or unable to renew their passport. This made it impossible for thousands of Dominicans to resolve their irregular status with the US authorities. The overhaul of the country's social policy sector, the expansion of new digital technologies and the modernisation of the civil registry have ensured that transnational Dominican populations can now access their legal identity documentation from anywhere in the world with diplomatic representation. As migrants, they no longer have to make the long and expensive journey back to their place of birth to acquire their documents. These changes have transformed the lives of millions of Dominicans and their descendants living overseas as they can now obtain their national identity card, renew their passport and vote without ever having to step foot on the island.

One woman I interviewed for this book gave a chilling account of the dangers Dominicans and Haitians face if they decide to leave in search of a better life. Born in the Bay of Samaná, a coastal town in the north-east of the country, she recounted that as a child she was regularly awoken in the middle of the night by the screams of people drowning in the ocean desperate to get to Puerto Rico by boat.