Caricom discriminates against Haiti by asking for visas
Caricom has accused the Dominican Republic of discriminating against Haitians by not granting automatic citizenship and has demanded a revocation of Constitutional Ruling 168-13 that confirms the restrictions to jus solis. In response, the Dominican Republic argues that it is a small country with limited resources that cannot cope with unlimited immigration. Constitutional Ruling 168-13 reaffirms limited birth right citizenship that was instituted in 1929.
PRSC legislator Maximo Castro Silverio now says that Caricom requires visas from Haitians seeking to travel to Caribbean community countries, as reported in El Nacional. This requirement is not made to any other member of Caricom, he points out.
"They have no moral standing to talk about discrimination by the Dominican Republic, because they themselves do not want [the Haitians] in their territory by making admission conditional. All citizens move freely between the Caricom member nations without a visa, with the exception of Haitians," he said.
Caricom member states are: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago.
Castro Silverio said it would be interesting if Caricom revealed the number of Haitians who live on those islands in comparison to the hundreds of thousands who live in the Dominican Republic.
"While that happens in Caricom, tens of thousands of Haitians work here in construction, on farms, study at universities and have managerial jobs in many companies," he said.
On Saturday 24 November, Caricom chose to again defer the Dominican Republic's request for full membership in the organization on the grounds that the country discriminates against Haitians.
Diputado afirma pa?ses de Caricom discriminan haitianos -
Caricom has accused the Dominican Republic of discriminating against Haitians by not granting automatic citizenship and has demanded a revocation of Constitutional Ruling 168-13 that confirms the restrictions to jus solis. In response, the Dominican Republic argues that it is a small country with limited resources that cannot cope with unlimited immigration. Constitutional Ruling 168-13 reaffirms limited birth right citizenship that was instituted in 1929.
PRSC legislator Maximo Castro Silverio now says that Caricom requires visas from Haitians seeking to travel to Caribbean community countries, as reported in El Nacional. This requirement is not made to any other member of Caricom, he points out.
"They have no moral standing to talk about discrimination by the Dominican Republic, because they themselves do not want [the Haitians] in their territory by making admission conditional. All citizens move freely between the Caricom member nations without a visa, with the exception of Haitians," he said.
Caricom member states are: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago.
Castro Silverio said it would be interesting if Caricom revealed the number of Haitians who live on those islands in comparison to the hundreds of thousands who live in the Dominican Republic.
"While that happens in Caricom, tens of thousands of Haitians work here in construction, on farms, study at universities and have managerial jobs in many companies," he said.
On Saturday 24 November, Caricom chose to again defer the Dominican Republic's request for full membership in the organization on the grounds that the country discriminates against Haitians.
Diputado afirma pa?ses de Caricom discriminan haitianos -