Haiti-Dominican Repatriation Crisis Eases; NCHR Urges Action

March 27, 1997 -- The political and human rights crises provoked by three months of Dominican deportations of Haitian residents seem to have eased for the moment, three weeks after the government of President Leonel Fernandez ended the repatriations. Tensions in the border areas have reduced as cross-border traffic and commerce have returned to their pre-deportation levels. Debate -- sometimes heated -- continues in the Dominican Republic over a new immigration law aimed at controlling Haitian immigration and proposals to change the Dominican constitution to eliminate birth in the country as a basis for nationality. Meanwhile, there is no public evidence that the two governments are seriously discussing any concrete short- or long-term proposals to address the political and economic bases of the migration problem to avoid another deportation crisis.

NCHR has urged both governments to undertake serious discussions of an urgent nature to resolve the most pressing sources of migration conflict and to seek regional and international help. NCHR is concerned that the issue will be placed on the back burner in the absence of the political pressures of a crisis. Accordingly, NCHR is attempting to launch two short-term efforts to keep the issue on the diplomatic agenda of both countries. First, NCHR is proposing to work with NGOs in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic to organize a national NGO forum in each country to focus on solutions and to build a bridge between civil society organization in the two states. This NGO Strategy is an effort to develop national and bilateral NGO networks aimed at improving Haitian-Dominican relations at the level of civil society and providing a countervailing voice in the debates in both countries on migration, human rights, trade and joint economic development proposals. Second, NCHR is preparing a set of recommendations for a Haitian-Dominican Republic comprehensive migration policy to be used as a basis for advocacy and discussion.