The Inter American Human Rights Commission, a branch of the Organization of American States (OAS) will be visiting the Dominican Republic in the next few days to look at the plight of illegal Haitian immigrants. Diplomatic sources told El Nacional that according to rules of basic courtesy the Human Rights Commission is just waiting for the official invitation from the Dominican government, although it does not really need one to carry out its mandate. According to its sources, the paper says that the delegates will travel to the “bateyes” (the settlements where sugar cane workers are housed) in Barahona and the eastern parts of the DR, and will interview religious personnel such as father Pedro Ruquoy. The IAHRC has released several general reports on human rights in the Dominican Republic and has touched on the issue of the Haitian immigrants in each of them. The last such report was issued in 1999. According to El Nacional, the visit comes as a result of a meeting between the commission and representatives of different NGOs involved with human rights issues in the Dominican Republic, and Haitian immigrants in particular. The Dominican Republic is a victim of massive immigration of Haitian indigents who seek jobs given the economic, social and political crisis in Haiti and the reduced border controls in the DR. The massive migration is a major burden on public services in the DR.