Haiti Demands OAS help to stop Dominican Republic’s ‘discriminatory’ deportations, sets up migrant working group            

PORT-AU-PRINCE — At the request of the Haitian authorities, the Organization of American States (OAS) held an urgent meeting on Tuesday regarding the most recent mass deportation of Haitian immigrants by the Dominican Republic. The Haitian government wants the international community to act, saying Santo Domingo’s later campaign is a violation of the rights of Haitians living next door.

Gandy Thomas, Haiti’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, told the Permanent Council at the meeting that the neighboring country must find a solution that respects fundamental human rights. At the moment, Thomas said, the deportations amount to widespread discrimination.

“The international community, including the Organization of American States, must recognize the Dominican Republic’s deportation policy for what it is: A discriminatory campaign targeting Haitians because of their nationality and skin color,” Thomas told the assembly. 

Returning Haitians is far from being new for the Dominican Republic. But the practice escalated last week after President Luis Abinader said on Oct. 2 that he would deport 10,000 undocumented Haitians per week. Since then and up to Oct. 7, the Dominican Republic deported nearly 11,000 Haitians in what many returned describe as a rounding up of them by surprise. 

Immigration vehicles continue to drop off Haitians, many of them children without their parents, at the border crossings daily. To handle the influx, Haiti has set up a group to support the migrants.

Calls to respect Haitian migrants’ rights

The deportation campaign is in line with Abinader’s stance on immigration since taking office in 2020. He has increased expulsions of undocumented migrants and strengthened police presence at the border and, in 2023 alone, sent back more than 250,000 undocumented Haitians. 

Tuesday, Secretary General of the OAS Luis Almagro said while each country may manage its migration policies, it should ensure that all protections and legal rights are respected in the deportation process— to avoid unjustified deportations.

“In the case of Haiti, it is obviously concerning what the representatives here have pointed out,” said Almagro. “We must not forget that those who arrive in Haiti come from a country deeply affected by violence and a profound economic, social and human rights crisis.”

Ambassador Francisco O. Mora, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS, condemned the human rights violations and discrimination during the forced repatriation of Haitian migrants at the borders. He too was concerned about the treatment of Haitians still in the Dominican Republic.”

“We urge the Dominican government to check for potential indicators of human trafficking before any expulsion,” Mora said. “It is absolutely essential to manage immigration properly, prioritizing the protection and dignity of individuals, particularly women and children.”

Government aims to welcome deported

In response, the Haitian government is establishing a Multisectoral Working Group to provide adequate treatment upon the arrival of all migrants in Haiti. During its first working session, the Group discussed creating a registry of migrants, updating identity documents, reintegrating and resettling people and coordinating communication and advocacy.

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, currently traveling in the United Arab Emirates, condemned the deportations, saying it constitutes a violation of the fundamental principles of human dignity. Similarly, Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dominique Dupuy, said they are “ an affront to human dignity.”  

Government and non-government groups also decry the fact that many of the deported migrants can no longer return to the homes they once knew. In the Artibonite, for example, residents of Pont-Sondé killed at least 70 people and set fire to 45 homes and 34 vehicles last week. In June, heavily armed men on 10 motorcycles burst through the other rural communities in the region, killing 10 people, including a pregnant woman.

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