On International Migrants Day: CEDESO and OBMICA call for an end to restrictive policies that violate rights

As International Migrants Day is commemorated this December 18, civil society organizations warn of a break in the line of progress in the defense of human rights in the Dominican Republic, with setbacks in the migration policy pursued by the current administration, which runs counter to the solidary and progressive spirit of the Dominican people.

In their traditional Migrants Day Letter, OBMICA and CEDESO presented a balance of the main developments in 2022, highlighting the increase in arbitrary operations and migration incidents in the country resulting from "a restrictive and ineffective migration policy that does not respond to the needs of Dominican society, causes losses to employers and instability to the national productive apparatus, and violates the rights of migrants, their relatives, and the Dominican communities that receive them."

The organizations reiterated their request for a moratorium on deportations by land. More than 100,000 Haitian migrants have been deported in the last 12 months, according to migration authorities, despite international calls for deportations in the region to cease given the grave political and economic crisis in the neighboring country. Mass detentions have had little impact on the regularization of migration flows, prevent compliance with due process in deportation proceedings, and overwhelm the system's capacity.

They advocated compliance with the due process established by law in matters of deportation and the provision of guarantees to groups with special protection needs. Monitoring reports account for more than one thousand pregnant or breastfeeding women and some 1,800 unaccompanied minors deported; in addition, 900 cases have been documented of detentions and risk of expulsion of Dominicans who are children of migrants, affecting citizens and communities struggling for social inclusion.

They highlight the participation and solidarity of local actors who show up day after day in protection actions for migrants facing violations, excesses, and abuses. "It is Dominicans - teachers, doctors, communicators, religious leaders, community leaders - who document and denounce arbitrary operations, while demanding that the authorities respect the inviolability of the home and due process guarantees," the document states.

CEDESO and OBMICA, organizations that for three years led the Trato Digno Project for rights monitoring in the Enriquillo region and border zone, advocated for the dignification and recognition of migrants as drivers of sustainable development, through the design and implementation of policies and solutions based on research and evidence, the creation of pathways to formalize the migration status of the Haitian collective in the country, and the promotion of their social integration.

 

You can read the Trato Digno letter on International Migrants Day

A year of major challenges for migration policy in which the solidarity of the Dominican people is evident http://tratodigno.obmica.org/index.php/2022/12/18/carta-trato-digno-en-el-dia-internacional-de-las-personas-migrantes/