The United Nations is studying the decision by the Dominican Constitutional Court that orders enforcing the non-granting of Dominican citizenship to children with parents with illegal status in the country. The decision orders this to be backdated to 1929 when the term “in transit” was first included in the Dominican Constitution. In 2005, the Supreme Court of Justice had issued a similar opinion.
For decades, thousands of migrants have found irregular ways to secure Dominican citizenship documentation. The court ruling now wants everyone to adhere to strict legalities. This time the court ruling authorizes expedite processing of residency for people who have been living in the country for several years, as a first step before naturalization. If implemented, the new regularization plan ordered by the Constitutional Court will bring an end to the Dominican government’s decades-long laissez-faire approach to the mass entry of undocumented migrants from Haiti.
UN officials say they will analyze the court ruling in the light of international treaties signed by the Dominican Republic and in a few weeks they will give their official position in response to the decision to deny Dominican nationality to the children of illegal immigrants.
Lorenzo Jimenez de Luis, United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) representative in the Dominican Republic, met with a committee from the UN and the president of the Central Electoral Court (JCE) Roberto Rosario yesterday, Monday 30 September.
Jimenez de Luis said that there would be a consultation process and exchange of ideas to understand the position of the Dominican state, which would start with another meeting with President Danilo Medina in around ten days time.
He said that the purpose of yesterday’s meeting was to learn the perception of the president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) that handles the Civil Registry on the decision of the Constitutional Court.
Lorenzo Jimenez told reporters that UN agencies would be presenting their findings within a couple of weeks. He said the court decision “greatly concerns” the United Nations.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2013/9/30/294053/Naciones-Unidas-evalua-sentencia-del-TC-sobre-hijos-de-indocumentados