The township of Friusa was born with the construction of the first resorts in the Punta Cana area. The constructions attracted the flow of thousands of undocumented workers from Haiti who found low cost housing in this central area that would grow and now has been described as one of the most dense congregations of Haitians anywhere.
In recent years, the peaceful worker community has evolved to have a reputation as a no-man’s land, with reports that drug dealership and criminals have set up their networks and homes there and that the area is controlled by Haitian leadership, in the Haitian-style.
Now the Antigua Orden Dominicana is organizing a peaceful walk through the community on 30 March 2025 to enforce that this area cannot be off limits for Dominicans. The walk was notified to the Ministry of Interior and Police. The Antigua Orden Dominicana protests what they call the takeover of this area in Punta Cana.
Somos Pueblo’s Ricardo Ripoll called for the authorities to guarantee the safety of those who will participate in the walk through the township. He called for the authorities to send an advance team to ensure the security of participants. Ripoll alerts that Haitians have become aggressive, with several violent incidents against Dominicans, and several community leaders seem to be imposing the same style of violence that has created chaos in Haiti, with the violation of local laws and the indolence of Dominican authorities.
When asked about the walk and the situation of Friusa, President Luis Abinader said that Friusa has boomed in population as a result of all the resort construction in the Punta Cana area over the years. He said the government is fostering the mechanization of construction so as to reduce the dependency on Haitian labor. He understands the authorities are in control of the area.
Angelo Vasquez of the Antigua Orden Dominicana says he is promoting a march to demand authorities to deal with the situation where Friusa has become a ghetto that is a replica of what there is in Haiti.
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25 March 2025