Justice Minister clarifies statement on Haitian children

Santo Domingo.- Justice minister Francisco Domínguez on Tuesday clarified that children of undocumented Haitian parents aren’t Dominicans, just hours after Senate president Reinaldo Pared questioned his confusing statement, fueling the row on the Central Electoral Board’s refusal to document the foreigners who claimed citizenship.

"The Constitution is very clear, it says who is Dominican and who is not, consequently, I cannot say that children of Haitian parents living illegally are absolutely Dominicans. Now, if they are documented residents and have other conditions, that’s something else," he said.

He noted that people who’ve been residing here for several generations should be given the chance to obtain documents to stay in the country.

Dominguez said humane solutions for the Haitians here don’t imply a violation of the Constitution.