The migration bill recently deposited in the Congress could motivate increased Haitian migration, observes a report in El Caribe. The bill incorporates legal mechanisms that would make the deporting of Haitians very difficult. While the bill authorizes the deportation of illegal foreigners, it is neither obligatory nor automatic. Foreigners have the right to a lawyer paid by the state and to trial prior to the deportation, which could produce an enormous accumulation of pending cases. The newspaper report states that an estimated 800,000 Haitians are illegal residents. El Caribe points out that Dominicans that arrive by boat to Puerto Rico are deported without the right to request the annulment of the deportation in court.
