Weekly deportation: Dominican Republic sends back 11,000 Haitians

On Tuesday, the Dominican Republic announced that it has deported or repatriated almost 11,000 Haitians over the past week.

This action aligns with its commitment to carry out such operations weekly, as Haiti struggles to manage the influx amid ongoing gang violence and poverty.

According to William Charpentier, who coordinates the National Coalition for Migrations and Refugees in the Dominican Republic, “We have received information indicating that the police are executing these operations. This represents a persecution of Black people and those believed to be Haitians.”

Recently, the Dominican Republic announced it would start deporting as many as 10,000 Haitians every week. In response, Gandy Thomas, criticized the deportations, labeling them as “a discriminatory campaign against Haitians because of their nationality and skin color.”

Following the announcement, Haitian officials called for an emergency meeting at the Organization of American States. At this meeting, Gandy Thomas, the Haitian permanent representative, referred to the deportations as “a discriminatory campaign targeting Haitians because of their nationality and skin color.”

Thomas emphasized the need for dialogue and a “respectful solution,” criticizing what he referred to as “serious abuses” of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.

“Haitian citizens in the Dominican Republic are facing serious violations of their rights as they seek safety and better prospects. The international community needs to recognize this deportation policy for what it truly is – a discriminatory campaign rooted in nationality and skin color,” he said.

Human rights organizations report that over half a million Haitians reside in the Dominican Republic.

Activists argue that the ongoing deportations endanger thousands of lives as Haiti grapples with severe gang violence and worsening poverty.

A U.N.-supported mission, led by Kenyan police and initiated earlier this year, is struggling with insufficient funding and personnel while attempting to address the gang crisis.

According to Dominican Republic government, from the1st to 7th of October, a total of 7,591 individuals were deported and 3,323 were repatriated, all of whom were Haitian.