Former Environment Minister, Francisco Domínguez Brito, has asked for the intervention of the Migration Agency (DGA), to stop Haitians continuing to work in the protected areas of the Dominican Republic. He said that there cannot be Haitian day labourers in areas such as Valle Nuevo, Los Haitises or the Sierra de Bahoruco, because they are despoiling the land. He explained that they are sent to work by Dominicans who split the profit with them.
He said that there were now 2,500 to 3,000 Haitians in Valle Nuevo alone, despite the ban on farming in the area. Domínguez Brito said that it is the responsibility of Migration to resolve the issue more than the Ministry of the Environment.
A few days ago members of Migration, arrested 87 Haitians, but only 45 were returned to Haiti and the rest escaped into the fields. The Migration Agency has not focused on sanctioning the Dominicans who are hiring the Haitian laborers.
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Listin Diario
9 January 2019
