The Dominican government made an announcement last week stating that it will be deporting up to 10,000 Haitians on a weekly basis.
This decision comes as a result of an “excess” of immigrants and the deteriorating relations between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola. It is worth noting that these deportations are the largest in recent history in the region.
The Haitian officials were quick to respond to the announcement by requesting an emergency meeting at the Organization of American States.
During the meeting, Gandy Thomas, the permanent representative of Haiti, strongly criticized the deportations, referring to them as “a strategy of ethnic cleansing” and “a discriminatory campaign targeting Haitians based on their nationality and skin color.”
According to human rights groups, there are at least half a million Haitians residing in the Dominican Republic.
Activists argue that the deportations are endangering the lives of thousands of people. The ongoing U.N.-backed mission, led by Kenyan police, aims to tackle gang violence but is currently struggling due to insufficient funding and a shortage of personnel.
Sam Guillaume, from Haiti’s Support Group for Returnees and Refugees, expressed concern about the presence of numerous armed groups preying on vulnerable individuals. According to him, these groups act like birds of prey, waiting for the opportunity to exploit the situation.
According to Radhafil Rodríguez, adviser to the OAS’ Dominican Republic mission, the government has denied allegations of mistreatment and would thoroughly investigate any complaint.
According to him, the crisis in Haiti is having a disproportionate impact on the Dominican Republic. He claims that migrants are putting a strain on schools, clinics, and hospitals.
Rodríguez expressed solidarity with the people of Haiti amidst their crisis, but emphasized that halting deportations is an unrealistic expectation.
Both Rodríguez and Thomas emphasized the importance of dialogue as Haitian officials held urgent meetings to discuss the deportations. In response to the situation, a working group was established to address the needs of the influx of migrants.
Charpentier described the deportations as a form of persecution targeting Black individuals and everything that is associated with Haitian identity.
According to him, individuals with legal documents are also being detained and deported, an alarming practice that activists claim has been happening in previous years. Instances of extortion have been on the rise.
According to Ocicle Batista, a 45-year-old Haitian migrant who sells avocados in Santo Domingo, the soldiers are allegedly demanding $230 to $330 from migrants to prevent deportations, even if they have the necessary documents.
“We are here to work,” she stated.
According to Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, the migration director of the Dominican Republic, the authorities are ensuring that human rights are being respected during the arrest of migrants. He also emphasized that a proportional use of force is employed in such situations.
According to him, individuals who were detained lacked “reliable identification” to validate their presence in the country.
According to the government, a total of 7,591 individuals were deported and 3,323 were repatriated between October 1st and 7th. The government specifically mentioned that all of these individuals were Haitian.