USADR previously said:

Haitians "take over Santiago streets"
A former Migration director in Santiago, Sabas Burgos, has warned about the mass migration of Haitians entering Dominican territory illegally at a greater rate since the 12 January earthquake. Burgos told El Nacional that in the past, the authorities used to pretend that they were doing something to curb illegal migration, but now Haitians are entering and leaving freely. He said that the streets, barrios and rural areas of the province are full of undocumented Haitians. "People, even the fruit and vegetable vendors, a local tradition, have been displaced by the Haitians", he complained. He said that in the past six months, Santiago has become another Haiti, with children, teenagers and women begging on street corners, selling merchandise on the streets and accumulating tons of garbage and no one is saying anything.

Santiago Historical Center Traders Association president, Carlos Lora denounced the massive presence of Haitian beggars who harass tourists and affect business in the area.

He complained that despite the fact that Santiago migration authorities are aware of the situation, their response is that deportations were suspended after the earthquake in Haiti.

One migration inspector said that Haitians used to run away if they saw a migration inspector, but now they just scoff at them. An inspector told El Nacional that he has received threats and insults from the Haitians who have been deported in the past and have returned. "One who had been deported three times, threatened to kill me and said that this country was theirs, and all they were doing was recovering it," he said.

xwill7 previously said:

So jodio Santiago... I noticed the increase in illegals when I was there in the spring

Pepe32 previously said:


If deportations are suspended they can create militarised camps along the border ,arrest them and send them there but not let them roam free in Santiago . If the government does nothing they will have to deal with the consequences when this blows up in their faces because the already high tensions combined with a weak economy is a sure fire recipe for bloodshed and once the genie is out of the bottle nobody could put it back!

deicibao previously said:


Lamentablemente ya Santiago no es el mismo lugar en el cual muchos de nosotros cresimos.

Atabey previously said:

Leonel and Preval had better take this situation to heart because it carries a "dry powder" potential. It is in no ones interest for this to blow up at this most sensitive moment in Haitian and Dominican negotiations. A potential historical breakthrough that might begin healing the delicate and troubled relationship could come crashing down unless wisdom prevails at this moment. The parties need to establish camps along the border to house Haitians roaming the streets and rural sectors. Some level of Haitian government and NGO participation might help in this process. Both these entities need to recognize that the situation is grave and that Dominicans deserve having peace and their national borders respected. This is not about racism and discrimination; this is about a massive wave of humanity seeking better conditions, after a horrendous earthquake, that comes at the expense of another nation's population concerns with crime, sanitation, property violations, etc. The national government's first Constitutional obligation is to defend the security of the nation.

USADR previously said:



Preval, Haitian government leaders are powerless to stop this and I really don't think they even care or want to care.
DR needs to take of this ASAP with utmost urgency and priority, but I see no evidence of this on the part of Dominican leaders.