Dajabon, Dominican Republic.- Border Solidarity (SF) and ASOMILIN, two charitable organizations which help Haitian migrants along the Northwest, today accompanied a group of around 280 workers from area agro-industrial companies to cross the border via Customs at Dajabon, for their traditional return to their country during the holidays.

The activity comes despite earlier warnings by the priest and SF executive Regino Martinez, that the crossing was suspended on lack of guarantees by Dominican authorities that the migrants would be allowed to return after the holiday period.

The entities said even after the workers provided the legal immigration documents required by the authorities, and had previously asked Immigration director Jose Ricardo Taveras to guarantee their return on January 5, the official still refuses to meet with the leaders of social and catholic organizations which help the Haitians in their yearend travel.

Johnny Rivas, of Asomilin, and Benigno Toribio, of SF, said the documentation process developed since 2009 has managed to get the Dominican authorities to issue 4,519 birth certificates, 480 passports, and 852 visas, a figure they expect will increase in 2012, through the Legislation process 285-04 and its regulation, which president Leonel Fernandez signed into Law after seven years.

They said for despite the many years they’ve helped Haitian migrants who work in northwest farms, to cross and return within the same groups, Rivas revealed that to this time some of them and their relatives headed home plan to stay and build their lives in Haitian cities and towns.

Border Solidarity and the Mao-Montecristi Diocese said they’ve been involved in the process of getting IDs for migrant workers and their relatives during eight years, as a way to guarantee transparency in the personal information, which the Dominican Immigration Agency should manage.