Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on new Dominican citizenship law

Interim CARICOM Chairman, Ralph Gonsalves, was vociferous in his defense of approximately 500,000 Haitian descendents, who risk deportation due to being deprived of their identity documents by the DR. He said, ". . . people of Haitian descent . . . look to us (CARICOM) to give voice to . . . denial of their human rights. Don't think . . . they look simply to Haiti." Gonsalves persuaded CARICOM last year to not engage with the DR once its Constitutional Court ruled to terminate Dominican citizenship for any person that had parents, who illegally entered the DR. The Court made the ruling retroactive to 1929.

The DR has been on the defensive ever since, with the international community in an uproar over the DR's shocking behavior. Pressure from other nations and the DR's desire to join CARICOM, of which Haiti is a member in good standing, has forced the DR to institute a regularization program to give citizenship back to disenfranchised Haitians. But the program won't be implemented for another two years.

Reply to this article

Read more: Dominican Republic, Ralph Gonsalves, immigration

« Confrontation on the Anniversary of 1991 military coup against Jean Bertrand Aristide | Main | Opposition senators refuse to meet President Michel Martelly, not a smart move »

Return to Articles List

Our objective is to share with you news and information about Haiti and the people of Haiti. Traditions, habits and the way we were  or  grew are alive in this site. We highly recommend that you Subscribe to our Newsletter and also share with us some of the things that are memorable and made us unique people.