Former President Leonel Fernandez has confirmed that the idea that the Dominican Republic should offer a general amnesty to illegal immigrants, as suggested by international organizations, is absurd, ridiculous and insulting. <\/p>\n
Fernandez, who is the president of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), has said that if the country was to do that, then those immigrants who had not registered under the National Foreigner Legalization Plan (PNRE) would not be returned to their countries of origin and the country would have to give Dominican nationality to everyone who has been born here. <\/p>\n
The PLD party leader said that the Dominican Republic was a sovereign and independent nation and exclusively holds the right to make its own decisions regarding immigration policy. Fernandez went on to say that the Dominican government has made it clear, time and time again, that repatriations would be made in accordance with international law and with respect for human rights. <\/p>\n
He said he had never seen the international community interfere in the affairs of a sovereign nation as in the case in the Dominican Republic <\/p>\n
Fernandez highlighted that despite not having been able to present convincing proof of repatriations from the country, nor unequivocal evidence of massive deportations or a humanitarian crisis, several sectors of the international community have been persisting with the idea of projecting the Dominican Republic as a racist, xenophobic and segregationist country — none of which is true.<\/p>\n
He said that the international community had no right to unduly influence rational procedures and policies made by sovereign states to protect their territories and their population, nor to tell the Dominican Republic to issue a general immigration amnesty or to give Dominican nationality to anyone born in the country.<\/p>\n