President Danilo Medina has defended the actions of the Dominican authorities in preventing Juliana Deguis from departing from the airport to the United States without a passport. Deguis presented a US special visa as her travel document. She was planning to attend an Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) hearing on her case in Washington, D.C. on Monday, 24 March. Depuis argues that she should be granted automatic Dominican citizenship because she was born in the country. Her case is the example used in the Constitutional Court Ruling 168-13 for descendents of foreign immigrants who need to use the new fast-track path for applying for Dominican citizenship under the Foreigner Legalization Plan.
Speaking to journalists, Medina said the United States had the right to grant visas to whomever they want and it was the right of the Dominican Republic to apply local rules.
He commented that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights has not sent him any accusations of supposed violations and that none have been identified. He said that they had come here and said they would submit their report but so far the report had not been received, and if they had sent one he had not seen it.
Commenting on his meeting with the United States ambassador James W. Brewster on Monday, 24 March, President Medina said that it had been arranged for two weeks ago and concerned several issues of common interest.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/3/25/315690/Presidente-Danilo-Medina-admitio-hoy-que-RD-esta-recibiendo-presion