Senator will withdraw proposal on protection of illegal women

Senator Félix Bautista will withdraw today the provisions of the bill that creates the Comprehensive System for the Prevention, Attention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, which protects illegal foreign women. The legislator’s decision is motivated by the confusion that this issue has generated, which has been rejected by various sectors. “I am a defender of the Constitution and respect for our sovereignty. The Dominican State, by mandate of the Constitution and the law, has the right to deport any foreigner who is in the National territory in an irregular condition, regardless of their nationality,” said Senator Bautista.

He explained that the right to access justice and effective judicial protection corresponds to every person, regardless of their immigration status. But he noted that this constitutional guarantee should not be understood as a tool to promote illegality. He pointed out that the project of his authorship establishes that the General Directorate of Migration will not deport illegal migrant women who report or require attention regarding acts of violence against them due to their gender condition, while the process lasts.  

The legislator argued that this is by virtue of article 69 of the Constitution, on effective judicial protection, which refers to the fact that everyone has the right to obtain effective judicial protection. “There is no distinction established in the Constitution between legal and illegal,” he emphasized. Bautista recalled his legislative proposal was presented in 2014 and maintained that it is different from that of the Executive. Bautista’s piece was reintroduced on January 19, 2023.