US Organization Condemns Dominican Republic’s Plan To Expel 10,000 Haitian Migrants Per Week

News Americas, New York, NY, Tues. October 8, 2024: The US-based Haitian Bridge Alliance, (HBA), has strongly condemned the Dominican Republic’s decision to expel up to 10,000 Haitian nationals per week. The organization warns that this policy “threatens to worsen the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by Haitians both in their homeland and abroad.”

A man holds a Dominican Republic flag during an anti-Haitian migration protest in Santo Domingo on October 5, 2024. (Photo by FRANCESCO SPOTORNO/AFP via Getty Images)

HBA, a grassroots non-profit that advocates for humane immigration policies and provides vital services to migrants, including the Haitian community, women, girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of human rights abuses, called the plan a “flagrant violation of basic human rights” that undermines efforts to manage migration with dignity.

“With Haiti already suffering from political instability, humanitarian crises, gang violence, and natural disasters, forcing thousands to return to an unsafe environment is unconscionable,” the organization stated. HBA highlighted that over 700,000 women and children have been displaced in Haiti, with 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, controlled by gangs. The group warned that the deportations would “further destabilize the region,” exacerbating the dire conditions Haitians are fleeing.

HBA also voiced concerns about systemic xenophobia and racial profiling, noting that the mass expulsions appear to target Haitians based on their ethnicity, nationality, or immigration status, fostering division and fear. The organization urged the international community to hold the Dominican Republic accountable for upholding the human rights of migrants.

HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef condemned the policy as “inhumane” and called on the Dominican government to halt the deportations, urging collaboration with regional partners like CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) to create sustainable migration solutions. “We need solidarity, not division, to protect human rights across borders,” Jozef added.

The government of Haiti has also called on the Dominican Republic to respect the rights of Haitian migrants. Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy described the deportation plan as “regrettable” and emphasized the need to uphold the rights of all individuals, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children of Haitian descent.

Anti-Immigrant Protests

A man holds a banner that reads in spanish ‘Two nations don’t fit here’ during an anti-Haitian migration protest in Santo Domingo on October 5, 2024. (Photo by FRANCESCO SPOTORNO/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, anti-Haitian sentiment has been on the rise in the Dominican Republic. Last Friday, demonstrators from the Antigua Nueva Orden Dominicana protested near the National Palace, calling for stricter measures to curb Haitian migration. Their demonstration coincided with President Luis Abinader’s speech at the UN General Assembly, where he called for increased international efforts to stabilize Haiti, citing it as a “strategic necessity” for regional security.

Despite repeated calls from the United Nations to stop forced returns to Haiti amid surging gang violence, the Dominican government announced that the mass deportations would begin “immediately.” According to Dominican presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa, the plan aims to reduce the “excessive migrant populations” in Dominican communities.

This announcement comes shortly after the UN reported that over 3,600 people were killed in Haiti in the first half of 2024, as violence continues to escalate. Haiti’s ongoing struggles with gang control have displaced hundreds of thousands and left nearly half of the population facing acute hunger.

US Official Visit

Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd D. Robinson is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic this week to discuss security cooperation and combat transnational crime, following recent high-level meetings between U.S. and Dominican officials on regional security.