Dominican Republic will continue to deport Haitians, says president

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, CMC – The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, has declared that his country will continue to expel Haitians and will not authorise refugee camps, ignoring demands from international organisations that have asked the neighbouring country to stop expulsions and welcome Haitians fleeing violence.

Speaking in a recent interview, Abinader said that his administration will continue to develop and enforce laws related to migration.

“I think the United Nations must act more….I think the United States has wasted a lot of time helping Haiti and we have been saying for more than three years since Haiti entered chaos …..we were the first to use the word somalisation of Haiti. They cannot ask the Dominican Republic to solve the Haitian problem. We will not do it, we cannot do it…”

The president said there are many alternatives that do not include the Dominican Republic that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

“I think they have a lot of possibilities on Haitian territory and the Haitian islands. They have at least two islands, La Gonavd and La Tortue, that they can use for this. We will not authorise any refugee camps on Dominican territory …..”

“This is the same thing that other countries do, such as the Bahamas, Jamaica, the United States and Canada. We simply apply our laws, and we are the country that has really helped the Haitians the most, as I have already said, particularly in our health system …” he said.

The president's comments were made amid calls from international organisations for the Dominican Republic to accommodate Haitian refugees.

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