Deported Haitians return to Dominican city in less than 24 hours

SANTO DOMINGO - Most of the 80 undocumented Haitians repatriated on Friday 11/27, after being arrested in Santiago (north), returned to Dominican Republic, the Immigration authorities said. One of the Immigration inspectors who participated in the detentions said he felt “powerless” when he saw some of the same Haitians arrested the previous Thursday and then repatriated, walking Santiago’s streets as if nothing had occurred. "I can’t believe it, they have already returned to the country so fast, incredible, we’re working in vain."

The inspector said he was astonished to see that most of the repatriated immigrants are already begging and again spending the night in the streets of Santiago, the country’s second biggest city. Residents of the Ciruelitos district, where the authorities conducted most of the arrests, denounced that many Haitians returned to that place on the following day. They also revealed that some of the immigrants who’ve returned are threatening the Dominicans who helped the inspectors locate their hideouts.

"Haitian migrants a heavy load for Dominican Republic"
- General Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary of the Organization of American State (OAS)

General Insulza acknowledged on 11/4/2009 that the problem of Haitian migrants is a heavy burden for Dominican Republic, and requires the international community’s support. Speaking at the 2nd Meeting of Security Ministers of the Americas, he also stated that : “Although Dominican Republic’s level of development is far beyond Haiti’s, it’s still a country of the developing world, with its needs and problems in education, health.”

Interviewed by news source listin.com.do, the OAS official noted that for a developed country to receive that number (between 700,000 and one million) of immigrants is already a problem. “It’s a burden (for DR) that the international community somehow must help mitigate.”
He said the aid has worked, but little, “so there must be more support since there’s the notion that some of the Haitian population’s problems or a part of them are solved in Dominican Republic.”


Please note the 200+ HATEFUL COMMENTS on the 2 original articles posted on the dominicantoday homepage:
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2009/11/30/34042/Deported-Haitians-return-to-Dominican-city-in-less-than-24-hours

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2009/11/5/33773/Haitian-migrants-a-heavy-load-for-Dominican-Republic-OAS-chief-says