The director of the Migration Agency, Enrique García says the pilot program to provide IDs to Haitians to allow these to work in border provinces has been suspended for the time being. The measure would benefit Haitians who would be allowed to enter the Dominican Republic to work. The director of Migration now says issuing the “Border Inhabitant” card would be suspended until conditions in that country improve.
García visited the Listin Diario newspaper executive editor Miguel Fanjul to explain that the ID program had begun in January. The IDs have been a trending topic on social media given that the announcement of the start of the program has coincided with the National Independence Day this coming 27 February.
As reported in Listin Diario, the Migration Agency director explained that the issuing of the ID will not be put into effect for the moment due to the situation of instability in Haiti and some technical situations. The pilot program would have started on 27 and 28 January.
The official added that there is no date now for the start of the program. “I do believe that this is the first step to control the border, this is a simple card that does not give any rights to the Haitian citizen…they cannot sleep here, nor can they leave the area where they work,” he explained, after adding that it does not give them the right to work outside their place in the market where they work.
The pilot plan
The border cards are established in Migration Agency Resolution # 09-2021. As explained, the cards are issued in accordance with the General Migration Law. The objective is to implement the “Pilot Plan of Execution of the Migratory Subcategory of the Border Inhabitant” for foreigners of Haitian nationality, to collaborate with the good development of the socio-commercial activities carried out in that area of the country.
The proposed identity card for Haitian border residents establishes that the status of border inhabitant will be valid for one year. Likewise, the Migration Agency may cancel the carnet when the border inhabitant violates the perimeters of circulation or the conditions of permanence, Dominican laws and for incurring in infractions to the migratory regulations subsequent to the granting of the temporary status granted.
García said that if a person who is authorized to circulate in Dajabón is found in Pedernales, the card will be cancelled, and the person is subject to be deported immediately.
García explained that the temporary status under the border inhabitant’s subcategory is included in General Migration Law 285-04 and ruling 631-11. It grants temporary status and is directed at the resident population in the area of Haiti, bordering the Dominican territory.
Thousands of Haitians at present enter the Dominican Republic without any identity cards. Most of the people in Haiti do not have identity cards because the Haitian government has not issued these. García of the Migration Agency says the cards seek to improve safety concerns regarding binational market days when thousands of Haitians are allowed to enter. The issuance of this is now on hold, according to Garcia.
The Dominican government has announced plans to build 12,000 hotel rooms in the Cabo Rojo beach area in Pedernales on the border with Haiti. Pedernales has a population of around 30,000 inhabitants. When Punta Cana was built on the east coast, hundreds of thousands of Haitian workers migrated to work in the construction. Most of these later set up permanent residence in the country.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
El Nuevo Diario
Listin Diario
N Digital
Al Momento
10 February 2022