IOM inaugurates MIDAS system at two new border crossings in Haiti

The Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held the inauguration ceremony of the facilities of the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) at the Cap Haïtien International Airport and at the DIE border crossing in Ouanaminthe. 

Developed in 2009 by IOM, the MIDAS system collects, analyzes, processes and stores traveller information in real time. Border crossings into and out from Haiti are now more effectively controlled thanks to this new computerized system, helping to increase security at Haiti’s borders. 

IOM’s Chief of Mission in Haiti, Mr. Giuseppe Loprete said that “from September 21, 2020, to April 30, 2021, no less than 40,851 passes were recorded by MIDAS at Cap Haïtien International Airport and Ouanaminthe.” Thanks to the automatic entry of biographical and biometric information, MIDAS facilitates the passage of travellers as well as the migration control work of DIE agents. 

“When we talk about immigration, we talk about watching our borders. Now, thanks to IOM’s MIDAS system, thanks to the support of the U.S. Government, we have the necessary equipment to monitor our land borders”, stressed the Director of the DIE, Mr. Joseph Cianciulli.  

Besides Mr. Cianciulli and Mr. Loprete, the inauguration ceremony was attended by the Regional Director of the DIE, Mr. Galen Zephirin, the Head of Public Affairs of the Embassy of the United States in Haiti, Mr. Alexander Daniels and the Coordinator of the National Airport Authority, Mr. Edouane Pierre. 

Mr. Daniels welcomed “the successful collaboration between DIE, IOM and airport authorities, with the support of the Haitian and U.S. governments.” He credited the collaboration with IOM in enabling the overcoming of pandemic challenges, by completing additional MIDAS facilities during this difficult time. 

This initiative will extend to other key border points, as explained by Mr. Loprete: “The support of IOM in the installation of MIDAS at the border post of Malpasse, Ouanaminthe and the Cap Haïtien International Airport is only the beginning of this commitment. During the month of December of last year, IOM and DIE carried out a joint mission in Anse-a-Pitres and Belladere to assess the possibilities of the installation of MIDAS at these last two official land border points.” 

The MIDAS system is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) under IOM’s Western Hemisphere Program. 

For more information, please contact Elise Golay, IOM Haiti egolay@iom.int.