Recently, the first arrests of military and Police participating in people smuggling have made headlines as the Abinader government seeks to reduce the mass inflow of Haitians fleeing given the multidimensional crisis in Haiti. For years, this has been going on as the situation in Haiti has worsened, motivating more people to migrate.
El Dia newspaper in an editorial (An Inescapable Duty) on 22 October 2024, urges the government to do more to crack the people smuggling networks with their Haitian and Dominican participants.
El Dia writes:
“The presence of Haitians throughout the country is an observable reality. Stepping outside major urban centers reveals them engaged in various activities, from selling assorted items at traffic lights, pushing tricycles, to working in public transportation or construction sites.
“For some, their numbers are so high they could be counted in millions, yet no official figure has reached seven digits to date.
“In an effort to address this massive presence of foreigners who do not meet immigration requirements, a repatriation operation has recently been announced, aiming to send approximately ten thousand Haitians back to their country each week.
“However, during this time, the number of Dominicans being arrested in border areas has also risen, including members of the Armed Forces and National Police involved in trafficking Haitians into the country.
“This seems to be where the efforts to control excessive immigration should have begun.
“Sending people back without addressing human trafficking only serves to bolster the operations of many Haitians and some unscrupulous Dominicans.
“According to the account of one individual, crossing the border and reaching the Dominican capital cost him the equivalent of RD$16,000.
“Evidently, this is a lucrative risk involving traffickers, transporters, and authorities. If that were not the case, military or police officials would likely avoid exposure to potential repercussions.
“It may be impossible for the Dominican government to address the trafficking that occurs on the other side of the border. However, tackling and punishing the trafficking that happens within its own territory is an inescapable duty.”
Read more in Spanish:
El Dia
22 October 2024