CROWDVOICE

According to human rights advocacy groups, a crackdown on Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic has resulted in the forcible deportation of Dominican residents of Haitian descent. A 2013 ruling by the Dominican Supreme court stripped citizenship of those born of unregistered Haitian immigrants, with a deadline of June 17 to apply for citizenship. Those affected describe the path to retaining citizenship as riddled with bureaucratic obstacles, and say that the legislation is not being properly applied. Residency permits must be obtained with documents most do not have access to. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has documented over sixty cases of arbitrary arrest and deportation of those who possessed proper documentation. The Dominican government says that over 25,000 people have already left the country voluntarily, but witnesses and rights groups say they left under duress, fearing the reaction of local authorities if they choose to stay, describing intimidation tactics, discrimination, and profiling.