As Haitian immigrants in the United States grapple with anxiety over the upcoming Trump administration, their fellow citizens in the Dominican Republic are experiencing an even more severe humanitarian emergency that continues to escalate at an alarming pace.
A group of New York Times journalists recently conducted an on-site investigation in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti to document firsthand the cruel treatment of Haitians by Dominican officials, which continues amid the international community’s silent complicity.
The New York Times team collected numerous accounts from deportees, including individuals who, despite being born in the Dominican Republic, were setting foot on Haitian territory for the first time.
Each dawn at the Elias Piña border crossing between Haiti and the Dominican Republic brings a disturbing sight: a parade of cage-like trucks, designed for transporting animals, now carries human cargo in what activists describe as one of the Caribbean’s most aggressive deportation campaigns in recent memory, according to a report by Hogla Enecia Pérez and Frances Robles for the New York Times, shared by WLRN.
Since October 2024, Dominican authorities have expelled over 55,000 individuals to Haiti, with officials targeting an aggressive goal of 10,000 deportations per week, according to the New York Times.
These numbers represent countless broken dreams: job-seeking young men, expectant mothers hoping for better healthcare, abandoned children caught in the middle, and most poignantly, individuals who, despite their Haitian ancestry, have never experienced life in Haiti, observed the New York Times reporters during their field investigation.
The human toll of this crisis is illustrated through stories like that of Rose-Mieline Florvil, an expectant mother aged 24 who had resided in the Dominican Republic for under a year. Her account of pre-dawn immigration raids, where officers simply identified her as a “black woman,” highlights the racial undertones of these deportations. “My pregnancy made it impossible to flee,” she explained to New York Times reporters, emphasizing the historical context of this migration crisis. The American newspaper’s journalists note that understanding the present situation requires examining the intricate and often strained relationship between these two nations sharing Hispaniola.
The New York Times reporters were particularly intrigued by their observation that Dominicans place greater emphasis on distinguishing themselves from Haiti than on celebrating their liberation from Spanish colonial rule, which dominated their territory for nearly three centuries.
This historical tension reached its darkest hour during the 1937 massacre, when Dominican military forces, acting under dictator Rafael Trujillo’s command, systematically killed thousands of Haitian civilians. The shadow of this bloody past seems to linger in current Dominican politics, as evidenced by President Luis Abinader’s calculated decision to launch his deportation initiative on October 2, 2024 – precisely 87 years after the massacre. This timing, as highlighted by the New York Times, drew immediate condemnation from Haiti’s Foreign Ministry. The newspaper’s analysis also traces the legal evolution of Haitian immigration policies in the Dominican Republic, noting a pivotal shift in 2010 when the country modified its constitution to eliminate birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. This legal transformation intensified in 2013 when the Constitutional Court enacted retroactive application, effectively stripping nationality from tens of thousands of Dominican-born individuals with Haitian parents, directly contravening international legal standards.
Bridget Wooding, a Santo Domingo-based immigration specialist, illuminates the devastating impact: “The practice of racial profiling now enables authorities to detain and expel individuals from their birth country. This has created a generation of people who, despite their Dominican birth and upbringing, live under constant fear of deportation to an unfamiliar land.”
The current crisis
The Dominican Republic’s accelerated deportation campaign coincides with an exceptionally turbulent period in Haiti’s history.
In the wake of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination over three years ago, Haiti has descended into unprecedented chaos. The statistics are devastating: more than 12,000 people have fallen victim to gang violence, while approximately 800,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes. The New York Times reports that healthcare infrastructure has collapsed, and the leadership vacuum has paralyzed efforts toward national recovery.
Confronting this situation, Dominican leadership under President Luis Abinader maintains, according to the New York Times, that their nation can no longer serve as a safety valve for Haiti’s challenges. They cite mounting pressure on public infrastructure:
- Births to Haitian mothers in public hospitals have surged from 24% in 2019 to 40% in October 2024.
- Supporting 147,000 Haitian students creates an annual financial burden of roughly $430 million.
- Public health facilities face mounting strain from increasing Haitian migrant needs.
Human rights concerns
Human rights monitors have documented numerous violations during deportations, including:
- Physical abuse and assault of deportees.
- Racist verbal abuse and discrimination.
- Unlawful deportation of legal residents and even Dominican citizens of Haitian descent.
- Separation of family members during deportation operations.
- Expulsion of underage individuals without guardians.
The case of Eduardo Moxteya Pie, a 29-year-old born to Haitian parents in the Dominican Republic, exemplifies these violations. Despite having documentation proving the loss of his Dominican identification card, authorities arrested him while leaving his agricultural workplace and deported him to Haiti. He now resides in a shelter, struggling to adapt in an unfamiliar nation.
Cases involving children are particularly concerning. Authorities detained an 11-year-old during an early morning immigration raid, while another incident involved a 17-year-old who sustained a gunshot wound to his leg from a Dominican official during a home intervention.
International reaction and the Dominican position
The Dominican Republic faces global scrutiny over its deportation practices. Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez strongly denies accusations of racial discrimination and xenophobia, stating: “Such practices are implemented by all nations without facing similar allegations.” He emphasizes the lack of international assistance, leaving his nation to independently manage the Haitian situation.
Dominican leadership maintains their actions stem from necessity rather than choice. They emphasize the strain on public resources and insufficient global support amid Haiti’s instability. Pelegrín Castillo, vice-president of the Fuerza Nacional Progresista party, asserts: “Without international support, we must safeguard our resources, sovereignty, nation, and cultural identity.”
The humanitarian impact
The crisis’s human toll is profound. The Repatriates and Refugees Support Group near Elias Piña border crossing reports their social workers struggling with increasing deportee numbers seeking help. Consider 17-year-old José Alberto de los Santos, who speaks flawless Spanish and identifies as Dominican – arrested during his work at a garage, he now finds himself displaced in an unfamiliar environment.
Rose-Mieline Florvil’s situation demonstrates the complex challenges deportees face. Unable to return to her Port-au-Prince neighborhood due to gang activity, she sustains herself selling water near the border. Her poignant observation – “If Haiti had effective leadership, I doubt Luis Abinader would treat us with such disregard” – underscores the institutional void enabling such circumstances.
Economic implications
While Dominican officials emphasize the financial strain of hosting Haitian migrants, experts highlight their vital economic contributions, particularly in construction and agricultural sectors. The Haitian population in the Dominican Republic has likely increased twofold since the last official count of approximately 500,000 in 2017, indicating their significant role in the workforce.
Future prospects
The ongoing crisis at the Haitian-Dominican border represents an intricate web of deep-rooted historical tensions, modern political challenges, and pressing humanitarian issues. While Dominican authorities maintain their right to protect national borders and resources, the methods employed in these mass deportations and their timing have triggered significant human rights concerns.
This situation underscores the critical necessity for international intervention in Haiti and the development of a more coordinated regional approach to migration management across the Caribbean. Without meaningful global engagement and support, the humanitarian crisis is likely to intensify, with already vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of political inadequacies and longstanding regional animosities.
This analysis draws from a detailed investigative report by Hogla Enecia Pérez and Frances Robles for The New York Times, published through WLRN on December 9, 2024.
To read the complete New York Times article published by WLRN, please visit this link.