Deports to Haiti on hold
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were bracing themselves for deportation from the Dominican Republic Thursday — but the mass roundups many feared did not appear to be happening.
Many thought the government would start deporting people right away following a midnight deadline to file for legal residency, but officials said it would be a much slower process.
Interior Minister Ramon Fadul told The Associated Press that it wouldn’t be “a witch hunt” but “a gradual process, as it should be, without any sudden surprises.”
Ruben Paulino, migration director, had warned that starting Thursday agents would patrol areas with a high concentration of Haitian migrants to repatriate those lacking the required documents. Dozens of people were turned away at the midnight deadline after standing in line for more than 24 hours to submit applications to establish their legal status. Even those who did apply are not guaranteed a residency permit.
“Every day I wake up to that, to the fact that I’m leaving for Haiti,” said Froilan Bartelmi, a 27-year-old clothes vendor, among the last to enroll in the program.
Officials said nearly 290,000 people enrolled in the registration program, but noted that only some 10,000 have provided the required documents. The government implemented the program amid international criticism of a Supreme Court decision that people born in the Dominican Republic to noncitizens did not qualify for citizenship under the constitution unless they had at least one parent who was a citizen or legal resident. The ruling rendered thousands effectively stateless.