News Americas, New York, NY, Tuesday. October 8, 2024: The US-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has strongly condemned the Dominican Republic’s decision to deport up to 10,000 Haitian nationals per week. The organization warns that this policy “threatens to exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing Haitians both at home and abroad.”
HBA, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for humane immigration policies and provides vital services to migrants, including the Haitian community, women, girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals and survivors of human rights abuses, called the plan a “flagrant violation of fundamental human rights.” which undermines efforts to manage migration with dignity.
“With Haiti already suffering from political instability, humanitarian crises, gang violence and natural disasters, forcing thousands of people to return to an unsafe environment is unconscionable,” the organization said. HBA noted that over 700,000 women and children have been displaced in Haiti, with 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, controlled by gangs. The group warned that the deportations would “further destabilize the region,” worsening the dire conditions Haitians are fleeing.
The HBA also expressed concerns about systemic xenophobia and racial profiling, noting that mass deportations appear to target Haitians based on their ethnicity, nationality or immigration status, fueling division and fear. The organization asked the international community to hold the Dominican Republic accountable for protecting the human rights of migrants.
HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef condemned the policy as “inhumane” and called on the Dominican government to halt deportations, calling for cooperation with regional partners such as CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) to create sustainable migration solutions. “We need solidarity, not division, to protect human rights across borders,” added Jozef.
The Haitian government has also called on the Dominican Republic to respect the rights of Haitian migrants. Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy described the deportation plan as “regrettable” and stressed the need to protect the rights of all individuals, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children of Haitian origin.
Protests against immigrants
Meanwhile, anti-Haitian sentiment has been on the rise in the Dominican Republic. Last Friday, demonstrators from the Antigua Nueva Orden Dominicana protested near the National Palace, demanding stricter measures to curb migration from Haiti. Their demonstration coincided with President Luis Abinader’s speech to the UN General Assembly, where he called for increased international efforts to stabilize Haiti, calling it a “strategic imperative” for regional security.
Despite repeated calls from the United Nations to halt forced returns to Haiti amid rising gang violence, the Dominican government announced mass deportations would begin “immediately.” According to Dominican presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa, the plan aims to reduce the “overpopulation of migrants” in Dominican communities.
The announcement comes shortly after the UN reported that over 3,600 people were killed in Haiti in the first half of 2024 as violence continues to escalate. Haiti’s ongoing battles with gang control have displaced hundreds of thousands and left nearly half the population facing acute hunger.
Official visit to the USA
Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd D. Robinson is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic this week to discuss security cooperation and combating transnational crime, following recent high-level meetings between the officials. of the USA and the Dominican Republic on regional security.
