Haina — Migration from Haiti to the Dominican Republic is economically beneficial for both countries but, at the same time, one of the main causes of tension between them, said William Charpentier, president of the National Roundtable for Migration and Refugees.
For this reason, he asked the migratory authorities to further reinforce legislative policies and operational systems. On many occasions, Haitians who participate in the regulation plan see the process as extremely slow, thus encouraging irregular migration to the country.
He cited how the agricultural and construction sectors have been affected by the massive deportations after investing in training foreigners; now, they are at risk of not having that labor force, which no Dominican is interested in replacing.
For Charpentier, another factor that harms the process is the generalization of the cases, despite supporting the measure of the State to deport those immigrants who are on Dominican soil.
“Many have months and even years living in the country and have procreated children, but each case is different,” he said.
The activist also said that he had received testimonies of physical, verbal, and even sexual abuse.
Given the situation, he pointed out how the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dominique Dupuy, condemned the deportations, calling them a “strategy of ethnic cleansing” and a “discriminatory campaign” based on the nationality and skin color of Haitians, thus demanding respect and justice for his compatriots.
He urged the Dominican government to reconsider its immigration policies.
The drama does not stop at the Haina Vacation Center. Yesterday, some of them were voluntarily deported, and others were waiting for answers from detained relatives due to their illegal stay in the country. They criticized the response process as slow.