Haitians blame own govt. for delays in getting Dominican papers

Santo Domingo.- The registry figures in the Program to Identify and Document Haitian Immigrants in Dominican Republic (Pidih) far from encouraging, have become another concern for members of the Haitian diaspora looking to legalize their status.

In the Pidih, complement to the procedures developed by the Dominican government, the number enrolees is well below the more than the 239,000 who’ve registered for the Regularization Plan.

According to Edwin Paraison, Haiti ex-consul to Dominican Republic, statistics show that no more than 45,000 Haitian nationals have managed to enroll with the Pidih and most troubling is that the passports issued by Port-au-Prince represent only 5% of that figure. "There’ve been problems on both sides with the documentation plans, but obviously the biggest problem has been the Haitian government," said the also president of the Zile foundation, quoted by eldia.com.do.

In Pidih offices located in the city’s Herrera Industrial Zone, hundreds of Haitian nationals flock daily to check the status of their passport applications.

The office operates in a building with one large salon where upon entering the people’s frustration is more than evident.

Paraison said changes in Haiti’s administration have hindered Pidih’s efforts, in addition to poor supply of materials by the contractor in charge of preparing the documents.