Haiti asks Dominican Republic to respect migrant rights amid deportations

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Haiti asked the Dominican Republic on Thursday to respect the rights of Haitian migrants a day after the neighboring country announced a plan to deport up to 10,000 undocumented migrants per week.

“We note that the Dominican authorities announced on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 a series of measures that foresee the deportation of up to 10,000 Haitian citizens every week,” Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique Dupuy said on her X account.

“We ask that the fundamental rights of every child, every woman and every man concerned with this regrettable decision be truly respected, as required by international agreements and treaties that regulate this issue,” she added.

Dominican presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa said Wednesday that the “operation aims to reduce the excessive migrant populations detected in Dominican communities” and assured that it “will be carried out under strict protocols that ensure respect for human rights.”

“Today, the National Security and Defense Council, chaired by the President of the Republic, met to address the situation of illegal migration from Haiti. Despite international support and the presence of the Kenya-led Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian National Police, results have so far been limited and the process is moving slowly,” said Figueroa.

“Faced with this reality, we are obliged to act decisively and responsibly to ensure the security and stability of our country,” he added.

Kenya's deployment of police officers to Haiti is part of a Multinational Security Support Mission authorized by the United Nations Security Council.

The international mission is composed of 380 police officers who arrived in Port-au-Prince in June from an expected total of 1,000. Despite other countries pledging at least 1,900 more troops and hundreds of millions of dollars in support, only $63 million has been paid into the UN's dedicated trust fund.

The mission aims to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring security and stability amid escalating gang violence, humanitarian crises and political instability.

“We warned at the United Nations that either it and all the countries that had committed themselves act responsibly in Haiti, or we will,” Dominican President Luis Abinader said Wednesday.

His government has adopted a strong stance against migration from Haiti, expelling 250,000 undocumented Haitians in 2023 alone.

Criminal gangs have plunged Haiti into chaos, with the population facing a hunger emergency, mass displacement, sexual violence, murder, kidnapping and torture.

The country saw an escalation of violence following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise three years ago.

Rival armed groups took control of Port-au-Prince earlier this year, forcing Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. Armed gangs are said to control an estimated 80% of the city.

UN development specialist Garry Conille was named Haiti’s new prime minister in May.

The UN reported that at least 3,661 people had been killed in Haiti in the first half of 2024 amid the gang violence that has ripped the country apart.