During his weekly press conference on Monday, 16 October 2023, President Luis Abinader stated that the Dominican Republic would continue requiring that Haitians who enter the country undergo biometric registration. Most Haitians who cross the land border have not had legal identification in the past. The biometric registration lets the government know who has entered and who has left.
Haitians stationed on the Cachiman Belladere side, on the border on the Elías Piña side, shouted on Monday, 16 October 2023, that the collectibng of biometric data carried out by the Dominican authorities is “illegal.” President Luis Abinader indicated during the press conference that the government will continue to implement the measure since it is essential for the security of the Dominican Republic.
The Haitian government has responded that it will open the gates to the border on its side once the Dominican government reinstates free entry on market days. Previously, the Dominican government allowed the free entry of undocumented persons from Haiti on market days in Independencia, Pedernales, Elías Piña, and Dajabón provinces. There were no controls on who entered or who returned to Haiti.
President Abinader stated on Monday, 16 October 2023: “We are not going to give in there. For our security, everyone who passes through that border has to do their biometric identification. We are open. In some places the population has even come to want to enter and some sectors have stopped them. “We will follow the plan established since we said that the border will not be the same again,” said the President during the press conference at the Presidential Palace.
Abinader reiterated that the border area between the two countries “will no longer be the same.” The President insisted the biometric registration is here to stay and border management will not be the same as in the past. “We said it was not going to be the same, they can even stop the canal tomorrow, and we are going to apply new protection policies as we have been doing,” said the President during the weekly press conference.
Listin Diario reports that on Monday, 16 October 2023, there was no binational trade in the Elías Piña area, while the Haitians on the Cachiman Belladere side shouted out that the biometric data registration carried out by the Dominican authorities is illegal.
Regarding trade, President Abinader indicated that on behalf of the Dominican Republic, the border is open for trade. He said it is up to Haiti to decide whether to open the doors on their side.
Abinader said the Dominican government is active in finding new markets for the products that have been exported to Haiti.
The President also reported that in “two or three weeks,” the government would present a plan for the labor market mechanization to reduce the dependency on foreign labor.
“We are allocating about RD$3 billion to Bandex (Development and Export Bank) for mechanization in the agricultural and construction sectors that employ the most foreign labor,” Abinader said.
Abinader stated last week that mechanization will make the country more efficient. He said the private sector can count on the government for support in regulations and financing to purchase the needed equipment.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
El Dia
Noticias SIN
El Dia
17 October 2023