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| Haitian migrants line up for breakfast at a campsite that housed a large group of Haitian migrants in Sierra Morena, Villa Clara province, Cuba. A ship destined for the United States with more than 800 Haitians has landed on the coast of central Cuba. (Ramon Espinosa/Image) |
Fefum.com, - United States (US) officials in the Dominican Republic have warned dark-skinned Americans that they are at risk of being affected by the country's crackdown on Haitian immigrants.
According to the US Embassy in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic said Dominican authorities "use a person's physical appearance" as a criterion for detaining suspected illegal immigrants.
The Dominican Republic displaced 43,900 immigrants, mainly 43,900, from July to October in an operation it claimed was necessary for national security amid rising riots, gang crime, and fuel blockades on the island of Hispaniola. to deport Haitians.
According to UNICEF, the "evictions" included hundreds of children sent to Haiti without parents.
Several countries and human rights groups condemned the program of mass arrests and deportations, to which the Dominican government responded that it "strongly rejects it."
The US embassy's warning was conveyed in a bulletin on "continued enforcement of Dominican immigrants."
“Dominican immigration agents have conducted large-scale operations aimed at detaining undocumented immigrants, particularly those believed to be of Haitian descent,” he said. rice field.
“In some cases, the authorities did not respect the legal or national status of these people in the Dominican Republic. may promote.”
It describes reports of citizens being held "unable to challenge their detention, sometimes for days, without food or access to toilet facilities."
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| Workers carry medicine from a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to another clinic in need. (Ramon Espinosa/Image) |
But unlike what other agencies, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, have done, the approach taken by US officials does not include calling for an end to the deportation program.
The United States maintains a deportation program for Haitian immigrants, which has also been heavily criticized.
Defending its position, the Dominican Republic replied, "There is no evidence of systematic human rights abuses, as described in the US Embassy Bulletin."
In a statement, the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "The Dominican government has been accused of xenophobia and racist treatment of immigrants, not to mention our (U.S.) allies. I never imagined that, including a portion of our own population.”
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| Soldiers guard the shared border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti after it closed when Haiti's President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by militants at his private residence in Dajabon, Dominican Republic. (Erika Santelices/Image) |
Tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share a 240-mile (390 km) border on the island of Hispaniola, have worsened since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Since then, deportations from the Dominican Republic have increased. They are also increasing military security at their borders, including starting to build a border wall.
Dominican President Luis Avinader last week called UN Human Rights Commission Director-General Turck's remarks "unacceptable and irresponsible".
He said his country was "more affected" by Haiti's problems and steady migration, and was "more supportive than any other country in the world."
"We can't ask for much more from the Dominican Republic. We will continue to deport, and in the next week there will be more deportations," he said.
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| Doctors treat patients with cholera symptoms at a clinic run by Doctors Without Borders in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Ramon Espinosa/Image) |
What happened in Haiti that caused the migration of citizens?
Haiti faces widespread unrest over shortages of basic supplies, warning of a potential "humanitarian crisis". In addition, a cholera epidemic also hit the country.
The US Embassy has warned its citizens to leave the country of Haiti.
Haitian officials on Friday called for foreign security assistance in a document signed by Prime Minister Ariel Henry warning of the "risk of a grave humanitarian crisis," according to MSN News.
This document allowed Henry to enlist international powers to help govern the country's growing lawlessness.
Henry called for the "immediate deployment of sufficient numbers of special forces" to address the problem of "criminal activity of armed groups."
It was not immediately clear whether the request had been formally submitted or to which countries Haiti had asked for assistance.
(Source: Fefum)