01/08/2007

It is estimated that between three and five hundred asylum claims of people who fled Haiti in search of international protection are presently pending in neighboring Dominican Republic.  In the meantime, the lives of the applicants and their family members remain in limbo.  In most cases, the wait has dragged on for several years.

In November 2006, Refugees International and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services conducted a joint visit to the Dominican Republic and Haiti to focus on the needs of undocumented Haitians in the Dominican Republic, including those who continue to meet the refugee definition, and the situation of stateless persons, with particular attention to the vulnerabilities of children.  One of the asylum seekers we interviewed, a man we will call Jacques, explained the situation that Haitians who seek protection in the Dominican Republic face.

Jacques explained, “As refugees in the Dominican Republic, there is a lot of prejudice here.  The Dominican Republic government does not respect the Geneva Conventions.  We refugees have lot of problems.  Our children have no papers to go to school, but we can’t afford the cost of education either.  It is difficult to pay rent.”  He continued, “The most important thing is to get the paper of refugee.  When I have a document I can do more things.”

Jacques was active in a number of professions in Haiti.  He contrasted his former life to his current situation and said, “There is no security in the Dominican Republic.  There is a problem of discrimination.  I can’t get healthcare.  I have no possibility of doing anything [professionally].  What is important is for us to get papers.  We need the Geneva Conventions to be applied here.”

He provided an example of a situation he felt demonstrated treatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.   He told us about an incident that had taken place about a week prior to our meeting.  He said that two policemen attacked a Haitian person in the street and took their money.  Workers from a non-governmental organization (NGO) accompanied the victim to the police station.   Once there, the group was told to go to the police headquarters.  On arrival at the second office, the individual’s case was dismissed lightly.  Jacques said this happened because “here [in the Dominican Republic] there is no respect for foreigners.”

Jacques said, “Haiti is a good country, but it doesn’t have a good government.  I came here because my life was threatened.   After six years I still only have papers that show I have requested refugee status.  The document is only good for two months.”  But Jacques is persistent.  He goes to the immigration office every day and tries to get a more permanent legal document.  “It is a big problem.  We refugees are intelligent and have the capacity for everything.  Instead we face great abuse from everything.  There are many laws here that the government doesn’t respect.  We have the same problem as over there [Haiti], violence.  My father and three sisters were killed because of political problems in Haiti.  Refugees are killed here because they don’t have resources.”

Family separation is another challenge faced by Haitian refugees and asylum seekers in the Dominican Republic.  Jacques explained that in his own family, two of his children are with him in the Dominican Republic but two of the others are still in Haiti.

Jacques stresses, “I came here because my life was threatened.  I wanted to return after the situation was resolved, but there is no peace.  All I want is to get a refugee document.  I want UNHCR [the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees] to study my case.  The government doesn’t do anything.  They can’t do anything.”  Unfortunately Jacques is not alone in his plight.  He says, “I speak for all refugees.  We all have the same problem.”

There are hundreds other asylum seekers from Haiti who, like Jacques, continue to seek safety in the Dominican Republic.   Refugees International and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services are advocating for protection and durable solutions for these individuals.