Dominican officials deny pact with priest on Haitian immigrants

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Government hasn’t reached any agreement with the priest Regino Martinez in the conflict that at the border in Dajabon where thousands of Haitians try to enter the country illegally.

After a meeting with president Danilo Medina, Interior and Police minister Jose Ramon Fadul and Immigration Agency director Jose Ricardo Taveras clarified that the official position hasn’t changed and only those Haitian citizens with proper documents can enter the country.

"No citizen of Haiti or of any other country can come into Dominican Republic without complying with the requirements of the law," Fadul said.

Taveras said all citizens with pertinent documents may start the entry process.

He said the priest’s list of 1,080 Haitians would be taken to the Foreign Ministry to determine who’s eligible for a visa and only those will be allowed entry.

Fadul added that Martinez neither dictates migratory policy nor is a spokesman for the Dominican or Haitian Government.