OBMICA-FES Webinar Video: Leaders of Haitian and Dominican Migrant Organizations in the U.S. and Chile Speak about the Effects of COVID-19 in Their Communities

The Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES) and the Centre for Migration Observation and Social Development in the Caribbean (OBMICA) encouraged a discussion, via teleconference, on the situation of the Haitian and Dominican diaspora in the United States and Chile in the context of the COVID-19 emergency. Under the title “The New Challenges of Transnationalism: Haitian and Dominican diasporas under the spotlight in the U.S. and Chile in the era of COVID-19,” the event took place on Thursday, June 18, 2020. We are sharing the video of the activity, uploaded on FES's YouTube platform.

The evolution of migration from the Dominican Republic and Haiti highlights the growing complexities of migratory practices and experiences. New destinations are replacing some of the “old” ones, there is class diversification and greater informality in migration, with more people traveling and working irregularly, and there is also feminization of some flows. By migrating to different destinations, diverse sectors of the Dominican and Haitian populations have had new experiences. A recent destination for both Dominican and Haitian migrants is Chile.

In our region, COVID-19 has had heartbreaking consequences for the most vulnerable, exacerbated already existing inequalities, and devastated economies. The Haitian and Dominican diasporas in the United States, as well as in Chile, are also among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with high mortality rates and enormous difficulties in sustaining their lives.

The panelists were Alba Lucero Villa of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR); Hector Villanueva of the Dominican Society in Chile (SODOENCHI); Wenzer Salomon of the Platform of Haitian Organizations in Chile; and Guerline M. Jozef, President of Haitian Bridge Alliance. These leaders of Haitian and Dominican migrant organizations in the United States and Chile spoke about the effects of COVID-19 on their communities and on their relations with their countries of origin on the island.