Santo Domingo.- The Haitians who live in the sectors Cañada del Diablo, Arroyo Hondo, Yapur Dumit, Vista Nueva and other barrios of Santiago’s southern outskirts, whose neighborhood boards have threatened to expel them if the Immigration authorities don’t begin their repatriation by February 27, day of National Independence, weren’t  seen walking the streets yesterday.

Some of the residents, quoted by listin.com.do, said they were surprised by the absence and don’t know what happened, although others point to their apparent fear and that they stay indoors in rooms to let and shanties.

Santiago South Zone Neighborhood Boards Coordinator spokesman Jose Alberto Peña said they’ll coordinate the exit of the illegal Haitians who live in that area with the authorities, otherwise they’ll throw them out of those places and the first brigade of 100 men was already created for that.

He said when a brigade went into a rented houses it found  more than 70 Haitians in squalor,  mostly youngsters, who had been abused, and will inform of the case to the Immigration and Public Health authorities  today. “To keep those children in the middle of so many uncertainties and unhealthiness is a flagrant violation of human rights, but the guilty are those who rent those rooms and allow those illegal in this country creating problems of squalor, committing assaults, robberies and other crimes.”

Peña added that fecal matter was scattered throughout the house and urged Public Health to intervene still more to help those people and the children for possible cases of cholera.

Indhira Diaz showed reporters another house next to a gorge that rents rooms to undocumented Haitians, where she affirms the undocumented Haitians have contaminated by their fecal matter.