Following a series of reports published in the Diario Libre regarding human trafficking to and from Haiti, the Haitian government announced a commission would be sent to Santo Domingo to investigate the allegations of a mafia at the consulate. Likewise, the Haitian government announced a temporary suspension of the issuing of passports at the consulate.
Embassy personnel confirmed that an investigation is ongoing after Diario Libre published a four part series of irregularities in people and document flow and the existence of a mafia that trafficked Dominicans to Chile by passing these off as Haitians and for which fake birth certificates and passports were created. The Diario Libre report, “From Hispaniola to Chile: the Mafia of Another American Dream,” showed evidence that pointed to the possible involvement of Haitian diplomats and officials within this network.
The series on Unpunished Traffic also revealed how the trafficking of Haitians continues along the border, often times with the complicity of Dominican immigration and military officials. The series documented serious irregularities among these border agents, including collecting “tolls” to the immigrants. Neither the Ministry of Defense nor the Migration Agency in the Dominican Republic have been available to comment on the finding by the investigative reporters.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
1 October 2018
