Nov 10, 2024 Story by: Editor
Haitian activists called on Thursday for an immediate halt to deportations to Haiti due to worsening poverty. This request comes after tens of thousands of deportations to the country, primarily from the Dominican Republic, whose president recently committed to deporting around 10,000 migrants weekly.
Between Oct. 2 and Nov. 5, the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, deported nearly 61,000 Haitians, according to recent government data.
In addition to these figures, the U.S. deported 258 Haitians in October, while Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, and the Bahamas deported a combined total of 231, according to Sam Guillaume, spokesperson for Haiti’s Support Group for Returnees and Refugees.
Guillaume explained that many deportees are left homeless upon return to Haiti. “A lot of them can’t make it back home because their neighborhood is controlled by gangs,” he said.
As a result, some deportees are temporarily sheltering along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic, hoping to cross again.
The returning deportees join over 700,000 people already displaced by gang violence, including more than 12,000 who fled their neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince following attacks last month, as reported by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.
Guillaume also described the conditions faced by Haitians held for deportation in the Dominican Republic, citing overcrowded jails without water, food, or beds, where detainees are sometimes tear-gassed for asserting their rights. “People are being treated like criminals,” he said, noting that organizations assisting Haitians in the Dominican Republic have also faced attacks.
Efforts to reach a spokesperson for Dominican President Luis Abinader for comment were unsuccessful.
Guillaume added that some Dominicans involved in smuggling Haitians are allegedly kidnapping them and demanding up to $300 for release.
Katia Bonte, coordinator for Haiti’s Support Group for Returnees and Refugees, stressed the urgent need for food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, and other essential aid for the migrants.
The plea to pause deportations also follows U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge for mass deportations, though specifics on how his administration will implement the policy remain unclear.
The New York-based Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees group warned on Thursday that migrants and refugees “will face escalating challenges” in light of the U.S. presidential election outcome. Source: MSN
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