Deportation of Haitians, racism, Amnesty International calls on Luis Abinader to respect human rights

Human rights organization Amnesty International called on the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, to prioritize respect for human rights and end “racist” immigration policies that primarily affect Haitians.

In a statement, Amnesty International stressed the urgent need for Dominican authorities to eradicate racial profiling, structural racism and racial discrimination. Thus, AT emphasized the importance of guaranteeing the human dignity and physical integrity of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian origin.

“The start of the new Abinader government must be accompanied by an unreserved commitment to overcoming the human rights challenges that we have denounced and documented in recent months,” urged Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

Since 2022, the Dominican Republic has been the country that expels the largest number of Haitian migrants, despite calls from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stop forced returns to Haiti. In 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded 208,166 expulsions, including more than 20,000 adolescents. Amnesty International has also verified that many expulsions were collective, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the right to asylum of Haitians. These expulsions do not allow for individualized assessment of protection needs and expose people to increased risks.

Amnesty International also criticises immigration operations which it says are racially discriminatory and do not respect the principles of equality and non-discrimination. The organisation recalled the bilateral conflict with Haiti, triggered by the construction of an irrigation canal on the border, which led the Dominican government to indefinitely suspend the issuance of visas to Haitians, militarise the border and introduce biometric controls.

Amnesty International has received “alarming testimonies from victims and local civil society organizations” and has reviewed videos showing discriminatory and dehumanizing practices in immigration operations, transfers of people and detention conditions.