Dominican City of Santiago Asks Government o Stop the Entry of Haitians into the Country

Dominican City of Santiago Asks Government o Stop the Entry of Haitians into the Country
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 8/19/2012

Representative sectors of the city of Santiago, the country’s second city, have asked the new Dominican government to establish laws and regulations to stop the “massive” flow of undocumented Haitians from entering the country through their shared northern border.

This request is in response to complaints that “uncontrolled Haitian migration” into the Dominican Republic is creating excessive poverty belts and social problems with diverse negative consequences.

The Council for Santiago’s Strategic Development Plan, an umbrella for 65 business, professional, community, public and civil society organizations, affirmed that the moment had come to stop the traffic and trade of Haitian citizens into the Dominican Republic.

This request is in response to complaints that “uncontrolled Haitian migration” into the Dominican Republic is creating excessive poverty belts and social problems with diverse negative consequences.

Danilo Medina, in his acceptance speech and president of the Dominican Republic, committed to creating a clear and transparent immigration policy that respects human rights and international agreements, of which the DR is signatory.

He said his government will apply the immigration laws of the land and tirelessly pursue corruption among civil and military officials in charge of implementing immigration laws. He said the full weight of the law will be leveled against those found guilty of human trafficking.

Businessman Carlos Fondeur said Santiago is the most important city along the northeast section of the Dominican-Haitian border and that this is why massive human trafficking is going on in this area. He said this explains why this area is the major recipient of the vast majority of illegal Haitian immigrants who easily enter the country.

“We see this all over…beggars in the streets, some selling little things on street corners and others involved in petty crime,” said Mr. Fondeur.

He stressed that the situation is creating poverty belts around the city because as people come from another country, it is logical that they have to find a place to stay and they end up in areas near the streams in poor Santiago neighborhoods.

“We are hoping to see a law and a clear immigration policy that we can rely on and know what we are up against and know how the new government will deal with this issue of illegal Haitians,” he stressed.

According to Carlos Fondeur, more than 50% of the females who give birth in hospitals in Santiago are of Haitian nationality. He concluded that the Dominican government has to deal with this situation. EFE