Santo Domingo.– Dominican immigration agents deported 163 illegal Haitian immigrants, the majority of them women and children who lived in the streets of the northwestern city of Mao, officials said.

The sweeps were conducted after Valverde province Gov. Manuel Guichardo called on immigration officials to reduce the massive Haitian presence in the region. Many of the Haitians managed to evade immigration agents because they were tipped off by their countrymen via cell phone, police said.

The Haitians were taken in two trucks to a border crossing in the northwestern province of Dajabon, where they were handed over to Haitian immigration officials. Haitian officials initially refused to allow the deportees in, claiming there was no proof that the people had been born in Haiti.

The sweeps targeted illegal immigrants in San Antonio, Los Cajuiles, La Compuerta, Buenos Aires, Motocross and Los Restauradores, where residents had threatened to expel the Haitians themselves if officials did not take action. Residents accused the Haitians of committing most of the crimes in the area.

Earlier this month, immigration agents deported 43 illegal Haitian immigrants, including 25 women who worked as prostitutes in the northern city of Santiago and six men serving prison sentences.