DAJABON.- Monday’s occupation of the Catholic church Nuestra Señora del Rosario of around 600 undocumented Haitians who work in farms and other industries seeks to legalize their permanence in the country, said the Jesuit priest Regino Martinez today.

In a telephone interview by DT, the prelate blamed the Dominican Immigration Agency for the situation of the 600 Haitians, “because it only applies the part of the crossing.”

The migrants allege that despite having work permits, after returning from their country, the Immigration authorities prevent them from crossing the Dominican border, although according to a report in newspaper Diario Libre, the entity affirms that the group’s situation is “irregular.”

“After they cross, they are legal; we’re trying to ease the problem caused by immigration. We know that what we’re doing is illegal but it has a humanitarian factor,” Martinez said.

He said although Immigration director Jose Sanz Jiminian doesn’t know the exact number of immigrants and “isn’t aware” of Haitian’s real situation, “president Leonel Fernandez is most aware of this problem.”

“President Fernandez constantly talks about the problem abroad but when he’s here he shuts his mouth and closes his eyes,” said the head of the Jesuit Service for Migrants and Refugees.

He said Haitians must pay up to 3,000 pesos to the people traffickers, who operate in the open even on motoconchos (motorbike taxi), carrying up to three undocumented immigrants per trip across the border between Dajabon and Ounaminthe.

“There’s no serious plan to confront this, even a Cesfront agemt (border guards) killed a mother and her son in a rip off by traffickers,” Martinez said, adding that the protest is to demand their rights. “We don’t want illegality. That’s a millionaire business that is driven by corrupt officers. Cesfront has made an effort but doesn’t control the border.”

He said that while his organization works to demand law enforcement, he agrees that farmers and builders who employ illegals should be penalized, “but the migrants have rights even if they are undocumented.”