The Dominican Republic is reported to be detaining dark-skinned Africans mistaken for illegal Haitian migrants amid a mass deportation campaign targeting Haitians. This week, the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic issued a statement of concern and warned its African citizens of the likelihood of being racially profiled and detained on the island.
The alert advises Americans with “darker skin and of African descent that they may be at risk for increased interaction with Dominican authorities because of the country’s crackdown on undocumented migrants, especially those of Haitian descent,” reads the statement issued on November 19.
It is said that the travel advisory could have a negative impact on the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry, as the Caribbean island is a popular destination for African-American travelers.
DR officials are said rejected allegations of racial profiling, racism, and xenophobia, claiming they’re unfounded and contradict diplomatic relations. The US embassy states that in recent months U.S. citizens have reported being “delayed, detained, or subject to heightened questioning at ports of entry and in other encounters with immigration officials based on their skin color.”
Some activists are accusing the Dominican government of ethnic cleansing and attempting to whiten the nation in the Dominican Republic. It is revealed that the government is deporting Haitians, while they make way for Venezuelans and Ukrainians. The UNICEF reported in June, a case of unaccompanied children being sent to Haiti, an act it condemned as wrong and inhumane.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR) occupy the same island they have similar populations, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, while DR is an upper-middle-income country with an economy 12 times larger than Haiti. Hence the neighboring country claims to be overwhelmed by a migrant and humanitarian situation which are spillover effects from the crisis in Haiti.
According to embassy officials, the Dominican Republic has deported more than 100,000 Haitian nationals this year with more than 60,200 Haitians being expelled between August and October.
