Haiti calls for respect of immigrant rights

Haiti.- Haiti has urged the Dominican Republic to respect the rights of Haitian immigrants after the Dominican government announced plans to deport up to 10,000 undocumented immigrants weekly. Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy described the decision as “regrettable” and emphasized the need to uphold the inalienable rights of all individuals affected, especially children, women, and men of Haitian descent. In response, Haiti plans to strengthen its diplomatic and consular offices in the Dominican Republic to better support its citizens and will engage with civil society organizations and international agencies to develop strategies for assisting those impacted.

The Dominican government’s new deportation policy aims to address what it describes as a “migrant overpopulation” issue. Dominican presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa stated that the repatriations would be conducted under strict protocols to ensure human rights and dignity are maintained. Figueroa highlighted the slow progress of international efforts in stabilizing Haiti and emphasized that the Dominican Republic must act decisively to protect its security and stability.

The move comes after Dominican President Luis Abinader’s recent statement at the UN General Assembly, where he cited instability in Haiti as a significant factor affecting Dominican security. The Dominican Republic has already deported over 66,000 Haitians in the first half of this year alone, contributing to the larger figure of 216,000 deportations from neighboring countries reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2023. Despite ongoing criticism from various international organizations, the Dominican government remains firm in its stance on the deportation policy.