Dominicans Deported from the United States: 'Give Me a Chance'
More than 5,000 Dominicans were deported back to the country during 2012, mainly from the United States. This OBMICA video clip seeks to promote tolerance and non-discrimination toward deported Dominicans.
Dominicans Deported from the United States: "Give Me a Chance"
More than 5,000 Dominicans were deported back to the country during 2012, mainly from the United States. This OBMICA video clip seeks to promote tolerance and non-discrimination toward deported Dominicans.
Most are deported after serving sentences for drug trafficking offenses and other criminal infractions in that country. A smaller share, which reached 30 percent in 2011, is deported for infractions related to immigration laws and traffic laws.
Every year, OBMICA compiles statistics on the number of Dominicans deported in the report State of the Art of Migration Concerning the Dominican Republic. It has also produced a video clip to raise public awareness and promote tolerance and non-discrimination toward Dominicans deported from the United States.
Although most people deported from the United States are men, the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Washington stated in March 2012 that there was a slight increase in the number of Dominican women deported, many of them mothers of U.S.-citizen children who remain in the United States after the mother's deportation. This practice has been criticized by several organizations defending the rights of migrants and their families in the United States.
The Dominican Republic is one of the countries disproportionately affected by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act adopted in the United States in 1996. That law has had consequences beyond its original intent to combat irregular migration. The expansion of the list of crimes or offenses that now lead to the deportation of lawful residents has resulted in mass deportations.
For deportees, returning to their country of origin represents a challenge. Forced return to their country of birth often feels like arbitrary displacement, particularly for those who have lived most of their lives in the United States.
For most deported Dominicans, reintegration into society is not easy. Since emigration is seen as a rite of passage for social mobility and deportation is directly associated with criminal acts, whether fairly or unfairly, the rejection they receive is multiple. As migrants in search of a better life, they are seen as a disappointment for having failed; as deportees, they are treated as a source of shame because of presumed criminal behavior.
Even when Dominicans deported from the United States have not committed a crime on Dominican soil, and even when the offense that led to deportation is not considered a crime in their country of origin, deported Dominicans are registered as criminals upon arrival. This criminal record, or ficha, makes labor-market reintegration even harder, since most companies require proof of good conduct.
The high number of deported Dominicans has begun to leave its mark on society. The socioeconomic impact of deportations is already felt in different spheres. Many people have expressed concern, and efforts are underway to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by returnees. Government institutions and nongovernmental organizations, local groups, and diaspora groups are focusing on how deportations affect transnational relations.
More information:
Deported: The Human Face of a Reality - Brief on the Situation of Repatriated Dominicans