Helping Haitian children in the DR

What language(s) does the Pastor speak?

Chip said:

For those inclined, I have been made aware of a program by the Haitian consulte in the DR to help illegal Haitian immigrants in the DR register their children in order that the children can attend school legally her in. Please contact Pastor Arsenio in dajabon at 829-631-7808 if interested in helping. I can translate if needed. Thanks.

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Well done Chip!

Haitian children

Has the pastor an email address that you could PM me with?

Can he be reached through the SJM here in SD?

Are these the children of illegal haitians or haitians legally working in the DR?
SHALENA

SJM is the Servicio Jesuito De Migratorio.
So far the only way for Haitians to work legally in the DR is to have Dominican cedulas. There is a plan underway for agricultural workers but I am not sure where it is now.

What I think Chip is referring to is a program to get the Haitian children who are born here their proper Haitian id papers, is that correct?

The new DR constitution provides for education for all children here but without legal birth papers, children cannot go beyond grammar school.

There has been a program instituted by the DR government a few years ago for a separate book called the Libra Rosada to register the children born here of Haitian mothers. But it has been difficult to get the Haitian Embassy to issue legal Haitian birth certificates for these children. The Jesuits have been working on this issue, I know.

It is certainly worthwhile for these children to have legal birth certificates stating that they are indeed Haitian citizens as this will entitle them to Haitian passports and clear up some of the issues with the "Haitian Dominicans", many of whom are currently not eligible for citizenship in either country.

Under the Haitian constitution, if your parents were not born in Haiti, you do not have the rights to Haitian citizenship.

So it is VERY important that these children, who are born in the DR mainly because there are practically NO birthing facilities on the Haitian side of the border (except in Belledare, in the center, across from Elias Pina), get HAITIAN papers.

Please post more information on the project and how we might help, please.

I know one of the priests who is active in Dajabon and also the Haitian consul there. He (the consul) told me that he had never even received a copy of any of the Pink registers despite the fact that I had just been to the Hospital and seen that they had 20 Haitian births registered in two months and that they had sent them over.

So if you could explain a little more about what he is doing or planning to do and who he is affiliated with that would help.

thanks.

question about ...

....where are Haitian children taken to when picked up by the police.
I was eating at KukaraMakara and witness this. Police in a Yellow school picking up children in the Monumento area and taking them away. I lost my appetite thinking of where these children were being taken to.

the border most likely... probably Elias Pina now since there are too many NGOs monitoring the situation in Dajabon. But Belledare is a big town and they will be treated well there... the worry is how many of them are really Haitian or how many of them were born here and where are their parents? There is no process to this.... there has to be some sort of work visa put into place and some more sort of order put into these "deportations" --- especially if there are children involved....

Yes it's horrible, i am sure the children don't talk about their parents in fear of their parents being thrown in jail. But how can they deport children without knowing where they will end up? these were 8,10, 12 year olds I saw being gathered and put into the bus.

Good info Chip. In my humble opinion, for those Haitian children born in the DR, they should not be saddled with the immigration status of their parents.

M.A.R. said:

Yes it's horrible, i am sure the children don't talk about their parents in fear of their parents being thrown in jail. But how can they deport children without knowing where they will end up? these were 8,10, 12 year olds I saw being gathered and put into the bus.

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They don't put them in jail, just west of the border. As to how can they deport children?; same way the US do, 80,000 of them each year.

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Chip said:

Pastor Jimezer and I discussed this issue and he has certain opinions and prediction that may or may not happen - like the PRD giving residency to Haitians with over 20 years in the DR when they dizque suban al siento.

In any event, no matter how it and other issues regarding this topic pan out, I think everyone agrees that this program is real, effective by all accounts and something that can make a change now for the better of all of Quisqueya.

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Sooner or later one of the major parties will try to cash in the electoral potential of the Haitians living in DR.

Vacara said:

They don't put them in jail, just west of the border. As to how can they deport children?; same way the US do, 80,000 of them each year.

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Talk about mixing apples and oranges, you win the prize. The young folks in the video were not born in the US.