The government of Haiti is once again unfolding its muscle and taking its case to international forums to pressure the Dominican Republic to not deport undocumented migrants. The Dominican Republic has traditionally been the escape valve for the failed state in Haiti, and the population of the western third of the island of Hispaniola regularly migrates east to the Dominican Republic seeking jobs and social services. The worsening of the situation in Haiti and few perspectives for improvement has led the Dominican government to take new actions to deter Haitian migration.
Haiti convened representatives of the Organization of American States to a meeting to protest the announcement by the Dominican government that it would deport up to 10,000 undocumented persons per week.
The Haitian diplomats complain that the deportations will worsen the serious social situation in Haiti and blame Dominicans for being selective and racist in the deportations.
Haiti’s interim ambassador to the OAS, Gandy Thomas, denounced the deportations as “immoral” and discriminatory, alleging that they are based on racial profiling and targeting both Haitian nationals and Dominican citizens of Haitian descent. Thomas expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis unfolding, asserting that the deportations violate international human rights law and exacerbate the already dire situation in Haiti.
“These actions are fueling hate speech and violating the very legal framework of the Dominican Republic,” Thomas stated, highlighting the country’s commitments to various international human rights treaties.
The Dominican Republic, however, defended its actions to defend its security given the escalating gang-controlled situation in Haiti. The Dominican government for years has argued that the country cannot continue to bear the social and security burden of thousands of migrants.
Dominican Minister Counselor Radhafil Rodríguez maintained that the country has repeatedly called on the international community to provide greater support to Haiti and has already contributed significantly to humanitarian efforts. He argued that the country cannot continue to bear the burden of an influx of undocumented migrants. Rodríguez maintained that the country has repeatedly called on the international community to provide greater support to Haiti and has already contributed significantly to humanitarian efforts.
“We have collaborated with the UN mission in Haiti, kept the border open for trade, but our public services have been overwhelmed by the care we provide to irregular migrants,” Rodríguez explained, citing statistics on the number of Haitian births in Dominican hospitals and Haitian students enrolled in Dominican schools.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic urged the deportations be carried out in a humane manner and reprimanded Dominican authorities for allowing the Haitians to enter in the first place, calling for better migration controls. The Abinader administration recently named the Ministry of Defense intelligence agency director to head the Migration Agency.
The church acknowledged the human solidarity that has prevailed for decades in the Dominican Republic regarding Haiti.
The problem is that Dominican authorities see that actions are not being taken to improve the social disaster in Haiti and the authorities in that country and the rest of the world continue to count on the Dominican Republic to continue being the escape valve for that country, at a mega cost to Dominican taxpayers and the Dominican country. There is concern that the enmasse migration will lead to the Haitianization of the Dominican Republic given the high birth rates of the migrants and the no solution in Haiti to Haiti’s problems.
Diario Libre reports that the announcement of the 10,000 deportations per week has served as a deterrent to the migration, with hundreds deciding to voluntarily leave and others not circulating as the current operation is in effect.
Several similar migration operations have been held in the past, only to return to the normal of allowing hundreds of thousands of Haitians to migrate for jobs and social services. What is becoming relevant now is the question whether the Dominican Republic can afford to become the solution to Haiti’s internal conflicts. At what price?
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Noticias SIN
Noticias SIN
N Digital
Listin Diario
9 October 2024