HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE CONDEMNS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’S PLAN TO EXPEL UP TO 10,000 HAITIAN NATIONALS PER WEEK

October 3, 2024

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San Diego, CA – Haitian Bridge Alliance strongly condemns the Dominican Republic’s recent announcement to expel up to 10,000 Haitian nationals per week, a policy that threatens to exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by Haitians both in their home country and abroad. This mass deportation plan represents a flagrant violation of basic human rights and undermines regional efforts to manage migration with dignity. 

With Haiti already reeling from political instability, humanitarian crisis, gang violence, and natural disasters, forcing thousands of vulnerable individuals to return to an environment where their safety and livelihoods are jeopardized is unconscionable. More than 700,000 women and children have been displaced and 80% of Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs. This policy will only intensify the desperate conditions Haitians are fleeing, further destabilizing the region.

Moreover, the discriminatory nature of these mass expulsions raises serious concerns about racial profiling and systemic xenophobia in the Dominican Republic. Targeting people based on their nationality, ethnicity, or immigration status fuels division and fosters a climate of fear and hostility. Haitian Bridge Alliance calls on the international community to condemn these actions and hold the Dominican Republic accountable for respecting the human rights of migrants.

“We are outraged by this inhumane policy that puts the lives of tens of thousands of Haitians at risk,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance. “Rather than addressing the root causes of migration through cooperation, the Dominican Republic has chosen to escalate the crisis by forcibly expelling people who are already vulnerable. We call on the Dominican government to immediately halt this plan and to work with regional partners such as CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) to create sustainable solutions.”

Haitian Bridge Alliance also urges the international community to intervene diplomatically and provide increased resources to assist both Haitian migrants and the Dominican Republic in managing migration challenges. This moment demands solidarity, not division, to ensure the protection of human rights across borders.

As an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights and dignity of Haitian migrants, Haitian Bridge Alliance will continue to fight against unjust immigration policies and to stand with Haitian communities, wherever they may be.

HELP US DEFEND THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY AGAINST MALICIOUS ATTACKS AND RESPOND TO ONGOING EMERGENCIES