The Government of Haiti has denounced this Tuesday in an extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) that the Dominican Republic is carrying out a strategy of “ethnic cleansing” with its policy of mass deportations of Haitian migrants.
“Attacking people, solely for their Haitian origin, perceived even in cases where they enjoy legal residence or citizenship in the Dominican Republic, constitutes a strategy of ethnic cleansing that has no place in the modern world,” declared the interim permanent representative of Haiti to the OAS, Gandy Thomas, according to the Haitian news agency Alterpresse.
He also indicated that Haiti advocates maintaining an “open and sincere dialogue with the Dominican Republic, convinced that only concerted solutions, based on mutual respect, cooperation and international agreements will allow this humanitarian crisis to be resolved.” “We remain committed to finding lasting solutions that respect the rights of migrants and human dignity,” he said.
For his part, the deputy representative of the Dominican Republic, Radhafil Rodríguez, considered that this is a bilateral issue, and therefore criticized the fact that the issue is being addressed in the regional forum. Thus, he justified the measures adopted by claiming that the situation in the country was “generated by massive Haitian migratory pressure” and ensuring that they comply with International Law.
On the other hand, the government has held a working meeting on the establishment of a multi-sectoral working group –with the presence of the heads of Economy, Social Affairs, Health, among others– on the reception and care of deported migrants. Among the issues addressed were the reintegration of migrants, and the updating of identity documents, according to a statement published by the Office of the Prime Minister, Garry Conille, posted on his Facebook profile.
The Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti and is home to around half a million Haitians according to the latest data from 2017, announced the expulsion of 10,000 undocumented migrants each week to “reduce the excess migrant population perceived in Dominican communities” and assured that it would do so “under strict protocols that ensure respect for Human Rights.”
