Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez called the trafficking of Haitians across the border “immoral, indecent and unjustifiable”, and he called for drastic punishments for those who participate in the activity, civilians and military alike. The Cardinal also warned about the possibility of serious conflict along the border unless something is done to control the illegal immigration. The statement by the Cardinal supported President Fernandez’ warning that unless the border issues were resolved, the Dominican Republic ran the risk of “Balkanization”, a reference to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. The Roman Catholic prelate said that what worried him was “this illegal, immoral, indecent and unjustified trafficking, carried out by two or three individuals…” He said that the nation could not allow the practice to continue because of the damage to the Dominican image internationally.