About half a million Haitians — many of them undocumented — live in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. They supply essential labor in sugar, coffee and cocoa production, as well as in construction and parts of the Dominican Republic’s tourism sector.
Hispaniola lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Nearly six out of 10 Haitians (58.7%) live on less than $3.70 a day, while only 4% of Dominicans are officially living in poverty.
The Dominican army, under the orders of President Rafael Trujillo, massacred between 18,000 and 35,000 Haitians living in the Republic or close to the border on October 2, 1937. Since that time, relations with Haiti have been tense.
The Constitutional Courts of the Dominican Republic abolished “birthright citizenship” in 2013. Since then, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM0 has deported massive numbers of Haitians to Haiti – people born in the Dominican Republic to Haitian parents and Dominicans with dark complexions. In 2023 the government deported more than 251,000 people; most were Haitians. (nacla.org, Oct. 24)
Haitian deportees, including children, caged in cattle trucks.
Credit: New York Times
Since October 1, 2024, more than 71,000 people have been deported to Haiti. (New York Times, Dec. 9)
Progressive Dominican groups have protested these massive deportations. The Socialist Movement of Dominican Republic Workers issued the following statement Sept. 16, which was published in Haïti-Liberté Oct. 23:
“As we have been requesting since the beginning of the illegal campaign of mass deportations that began in 2021, we renew our call to the Dominican authorities to put an end to the arbitrary detentions, illegal raids, extortions, robberies and violence against Haitians, Dominicans of Haitian origin and black Dominicans that the agents of the DGM and the PN [National Police] persecute and attack solely on the basis of unconstitutional racial profiling.
“We reaffirm our call for respect for the human rights of our Haitian immigrant community in the Dominican Republic and reiterate that personal integrity and life itself are inviolable, and that no immigration policy can revoke this inviolability recognized by the Constitution itself, Dominican laws and international agreements signed by the Dominican State.
“Haitian lives matter! Black lives matter! Stop these massive deportations!!”