Dominican Republic Immigration chief is fed up with NGOs

Santo Domingo.- Immigration Agency director Jose R. Taveras on Sunday said Dominican Republic should put an end to the constant cases in the Inter-American Human Rights Court and the Human Rights Commission filed by NGOs

Santo Domingo.- Immigration Agency director Jose R. Taveras on Sunday said Dominican Republic should put an end to the constant cases in the Inter-American Human Rights Court and the Human Rights Commission filed by NGOs, which allege racism against Haitians.

The official said the international community has become a receptacle of the NGOs’ complaints that routinely subject the country to entities abroad, with allegations he affirms are untrue. "The issue of nationality is a topic whose domain is reserved for the states and it’s a backbone of international law; migration and nationality are sovereign issues, unless there’s a bilateral or multilateral agreement"

Taveras, quoted by diariolibre.com, said as long as NGOs get funds from abroad, complaints will continue, because they often look to make headlines to justify their work. "We should be more on the offense and proactive on the international stage, and exceed the scope of committees or scenarios of assemblies."

Although he acknowledged that it’s not within his jurisdiction, the official said the actions by many NGOs have prompted several countries to withdraw from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

The Immigration Director said he was "astonished" by reports that the Dominican Government resorts to terms such as "Indian or dark Indian, to deny our African descent."