Dominican authorities have expelled at least 1,800 unaccompanied Haitian migrant children back to their country, UNICEF reported.
The Dominican Republic rejected the complaint, made Tuesday as the government intensified its crackdown on immigration in response to the cholera outbreak and gang violence in Haiti. The two countries share the island of Hispaniola with a 390-kilometre (240-mile) border between them.
The repression has provoked strong criticism from international observers, who accuse Santo Domingo of mass deportations, racist treatment of migrants and the confinement of Haitians in facilities with poor conditions.
Among those who flee to the Dominican Republic are girls and boys, many of whom are expelled through different border crossings, where UNICEF partners receive them, according to the UN agency for children.
The information was initially released by the CNN news channel and was confirmed by UNICEF, which declined to comment further. It is not clear if the children were expelled without their parents, separated during the journey or fled Haiti on their own.
The director of the Dominican immigration authority, Venancio Alcántara, rejected the complaints and said that the agency applies specific rules in the case of children and that “minors are with their parents at all times.”
respect for dignity
“Any deportation is carried out in full and absolute respect for the dignity of people and their human rights,” Alcántara declared Tuesday.
Migration has been a source of tension between the two countries for years, but it has escalated since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, which plunged Haiti into chaos.
Dominican authorities say strict border enforcement and deportations are crucial to national security as unrest in the neighboring country intensifies.
Last week, Haiti accused the neighboring country of subjecting Haitians to “inhumane, cruel and degrading conditions,” while the US embassy in Santo Domingo warned that their dark-skinned compatriots could be threatened by the authorities.
“There are reports that detainees are locked up in overcrowded detention centers, with no chance to challenge their detention and no access to food or toilets, sometimes for days, before being released or deported to Haiti,” the US notice added.
forceful rejection
The Dominican Republic expressed its “strongest rejection” of the accusations, which are not supported by evidence, and that deportations will increase.
Authorities say they deported 43,900 migrants, mainly Haitians, between July and October, according to Foreign Ministry figures. In September-October deportations increased by 50%.
