US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that migration flows have changed and today there are waves of migrants, contrary to the past lesser flow of people that were overstaying their US visas in the past. Rubio says that migration-wise, the world is living in a different era to what existed ten years ago – not to say 40 or 50 years ago.
In an interview with Alicia Ortega during his visit to the Dominican Republic, Rubio expressed solidarity with the difficulties caused to the Dominican Republic by the migratory pressure from Haiti. He said the DR cannot be asked to receive more people because it is already experiencing “a massive pressure from Haiti.”
“This country already has a mass pressure,” he stated when asked if the US would request the Dominican Republic to receive planeloads of Haitian immigrants deported from the United States.
Rubio spoke that what is new is “a wave of millions of persons in the past four years.” He said that while most people are but seeking living opportunities, there is a small percentage that represent a security threat.
He said the Dominican Republic is under mass migration pressure every day with its neighboring Haiti confronted by a multidimensional crisis. While Central American countries talks are ongoing for these to receive deported foreign nationals (Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala), in the case of the Dominican Republic this was not presented by the US official. He acknowledged the Dominican Republic “is already experiencing a massive pressure from Haiti.“
In his remarks after the meeting with President Luis Abinader, Rubio corroborated with President Abinader that there “cannot be a Dominican solution to the Haitian crisis.”
He said the US government would continue to contribute to fund the present effort through Kenyan troops and other multinational forces in Haiti.
“The Dominican Republic cannot be asked to accept a mass immigration wave. No country in the world can tolerate that and it cannot be asked of the Dominican Republic,” he stated in his remarks after the meeting with President Abinader.
When asked if the US would ask the Dominican Republic to accept nationals from other countries, as has happened in Central America, Rubio stated:
“No, that hasn’t – that hasn’t been discussed and it really hasn’t been asked. Some countries have the capacity to do that. This country doesn’t because it is already facing massive migratory pressure from Haiti. No country could absorb the numbers that would come if that were to open up. So – everything – the conditions of each country, the capacity in terms of migration is different, so that has not been discussed with the Dominican Republic.“
When asked about the priority the Haitian crisis has in the new US government’s agenda and what actions were being considered as a result of the detailed information Rubio had received in Santo Domingo from the Dominican government, he stated:
“Well, first, the actions are to continue supporting the mission that is there as well, recognizing that that mission in its – we all recognize it, and I think that mission as it is now is important because it gives support to the Haitian police. But that is not enough to defeat these gangs and pacify the country. We have to have a discussion between friendly countries about what else can be done. Concrete actions that can be taken to achieve a solution. It’s not an easy issue. Nobody here has an easy solution, but I know that what we are doing now is important, but it is not enough. And on the other hand, we also have to start thinking about the future, about what Haiti is going to be like in the future. Because even if peace is achieved, we have to see a transition to a stable government and we have to look for opportunities to create sources of employment and income so that Haitians do not have to flee their own country.“
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Alicia Ortega interview 8 mins
Diario Libre
Presidency
US Department of State
US Department of State
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
PBS
10 February 2025