NCHR Applauds Suspension of Deportations but Urges Haiti and Dominican Republic to Resolutely Address Migration Crisis

February 28, 1997 -- The National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR), a United States non-governmental human rights organization, applauded the decision of the Dominican government to suspend the deportation of thousands of Haitian residents but urged both governments to immediately seek international assistance for measures to avoid further deportation crises.

"The eruption of this crisis demonstrates once again the dangers posed to economic and political stability in both countries by the failure of the Haitian and Dominican governments to seriously address the fundamental problems," said Patrick Gavigan, the director of NCHR's Caribbean Refugee and Migration Project. "Unless both countries work together to control the flow of Haitian migrants and to normalize the immigration status of the Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent now residing in the Dominican Republic, we are certain to see this all-too-familiar cycle of massive deportations continue."

Over the last year, NCHR has been urging the Haitian and Dominican governments to finally come to terms with the migration issue. "This is the critical problem that has to be resolved before closer economic, political and social ties between the countries can become a reality," said Gavigan. "Both sides must begin to put the ghosts of the past to rest with the Duvaliers and Trujillo and end the ugly rhetoric of the "peaceful invasion" as a threat to Dominican cultural and political identify."

NCHR suggests that any long-term solution will have to include three components -- Haiti's ability to control the illegal outflow of its citizens, joint development of the border region to stabilize rural migration, and the normalization of the immigration status of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic. "Chancellor Latorre is right to see the economic development of Haiti as a long-term solution," Gavigan noted, "but he ignores the other two problems. In order to deport illegal migrants, or control temporary workers, you have to be able to identify those residents who have a legal right to live here. These include long-time Haitian residents who were brought in legally to work in the cane fields under the bilateral contracts going back to Trujillo but have never been given legal visas, and their children, who are Dominican citizens by virtue of their birth here, but often can't get cédulas. One these individuals are legalized, the number of "illegal" Haitian residents will drop dramatically."

In addition, NCHR urges both countries to seek economic and technical assistance to develop the border regions -- hydroelectric dams for irrigation projects, agriculture development, reforestation initiatives, tourism infrastructure and free trade zones are all possibilities designed to generate employment and the long-term economic development of the region. The European Union has already allocated funds for joint Haitian-Dominican projects.

Finally, NCHR notes that both countries need to modernize and expand their immigration ministries and border control capabilities. "Haiti has no capacity to manage immigration to speak of and no border patrol," said Gavigan, "and the Dominican migration office is woefully understaffed, lacking needed technology, and plagued by corruption in the sale of worthless visas to Haitians. More disturbingly, the army essentially controls the Haitian immigrant population and carries out deportations with little or no consultation with civilian immigration authorities. Both countries need help to develop modern immigration agencies and provide appropriate documentation to all citizens and residents."