Former President Hipólito Mejía asserted last week that the demand for labor in the agricultural and construction sectors depends largely on the Haitian population.
SANTO DOMINGO.- Despite complaints, especially from the construction and agricultural sectors, that the repatriation of Haitians is affecting production in those sectors, President Luis Abinader reiterated yesterday that deportations of foreigners with irregular immigration status will continue, despite international and local pressure.
“We are going to continue deporting those who are on the street, those who have no documents or any responsibilities because the security of the Dominican Republic comes first, especially with these events; we are going to continue deporting,” the president responded when asked, on LA Semanal con la Prensa.
Abinader indicated that the Director General of Migration, Lee Ballester, has met with agricultural producers who have Haitian workers with expired work permits.
“We are going to follow up with the producers' associations, working with them; until things return to normal in Haiti and they can have work permits, which they cannot have at the moment due to the conditions we know,” the head of state said.
The president's statements come after former president and member of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), Hipólito Mejía, said in a radio interview that "it is necessary" to rationalize the labor migration of Haitians.
Mejía asserted that the demand for labor in the Dominican agricultural and construction sectors depends largely on the Haitian population, since, he stated, many Dominicans are not working in these sectors.
At the beginning of November, the Government indicated that between October 2nd and Tuesday, November 5th, the General Directorate of Migration had repatriated 60,961 undocumented migrants; stating that these deportations were carried out “respecting human rights, but without yielding to international pressure.
Following accusations by Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy regarding a supposed "reduction in deportations," the government confirmed that it has continued its policy of repatriating 10,000 undocumented immigrants per week.
