Given that this personnel is necessary to carry out work in the Dominican construction sector, in the East of the country they believe that an alternative to regularize the status of Haitians who come to work in Dominican territory must be found.
The General Directorate of Migration is currently launching various operations to deport undocumented Haitians from the province of La Altagracia, most of whom work in the construction of new hotel projects.
Diario Libre consulted several stakeholders in the country's main tourist hub, who agreed that a way should be found to regulate those who come to work.
Frank Rainieri, a pioneering tourism entrepreneur in the East and founder of the Punta Cana Group, thinks that "we could do like in the United States, where there is a six-month work visa.".
He believes we are far from meeting the quota of no more than 20% foreigners and 80% Dominicans in companies, but we must begin to take the first steps. “Illegality should not be allowed under any justification; anyone without documents, in any country in the world, must try to regularize their status,” Rainieri stated, according to the Diario Libre publication.
Virgilio Cedeño, senator for La Altagracia, believes that the employers of these immigrants can do their part and that the builders and agricultural producers have to organize and regularize the workers.
The legislator asserts that the construction sector doesn't even achieve the inverse proportion mandated by law: 20% Dominicans and 80% immigrants. To increase the participation of Dominicans, Cedeño proposes a long-term regularization plan, lasting at least 10 years.
Another perspective
The president of the Eastern Hotels Association (Asoleste), Ernesto Veloz, sees the deportations as a necessary "cleansing" to separate those who are productive from those who are not, the media outlet reports.
“What we need to do is to determine who works and who doesn’t, because what we don’t want is lazy people here, but there are people who integrate into the productive system and those are necessary,” he explains.
Veloz is in favor of improving working conditions so that Dominicans can integrate into construction work.
The interviewees spoke at the opening ceremony of the W Uvero Alto hotel in Punta Cana, which was attended by President Luis Abinader last Tuesday, the 14th of this month.
Migration in the East
The Immigration Directorate has a particular interest in the deportation of Haitians in the eastern region, especially in La Altagracia province. Last Wednesday, the agency reported that it had apprehended 354 undocumented migrants in that province for return to Haiti.
The operations were carried out in Bávaro, Mata Mosquito, Cortecito, Villa Pleywood and Friusa (El Hoyo de Friusa), in the Verón Cross, La Cristinita, La Piscina, Los Colores and Los Manantiales.
Among the undocumented migrants were 345 men and nine women. Authorities also seized two motorcycles whose drivers did not have identification documents; they were taken to the Haina Reception and Detention Center.
According to a press release from Migration, agents from the Navy, Air Force, and National Police also collaborated in these operations.
In its January report, the Immigration Department reported the deportation of 23,545 undocumented immigrants, mostly Haitians. Many of these individuals came from Santiago, Puerto Plata, La Vega, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Punta Cana, Benerito, Los Pilones, Azua, San Juan, Barahona, Pedernales, Dajabón, and Elías Piña.
Damage to tourism
The mayor of Verón, Punta Cana, Ramón Ramírez (Manolito), criticized the Immigration Department for carrying out repatriation operations at construction sites, citing the potential damage to local tourism. He also questioned why immigrants are taken away without penalizing the employers who hire them. “They shouldn't go directly to the work sites because it negatively impacts the tourist environment,” he stated. He acknowledged reports of people allegedly denouncing Haitians after putting them to work and then not paying them, but said he had no proof.
With information from Diario Libre.
