UN urges Dominican Republic to avert arbitrary deportations: Efe

Geneva.- The UN Work Group on African Americans today on Tuesday urged Dominican Republic’s government to avert arbitrary deportations and adopt mechanisms to deal with alleged racism during deportation of persons of Haitian origin, Efe reports.

The experts refer to reports that at least 19,000 people have left the Dominica Republic and entered Haiti since June 17 "fearing that possible rights violations occur when the deportations begin officially in August."

"Nobody should be deported if there are legal and valid reasons to stay," said Mireille Fanon Mendes-France, president of the group of experts.

"Migrants are subject to protection and Dominicans of Haitian descent have the right to live safely in the land, and the children born in the Dominican Republic who have been legally registered," she said.

"The Dominican Republic can not violate or international standards, or protection mechanisms of the Inter-American human rights system, and, especially, ca not violate its own constitution," Fanon said, adding that there are difficulties to obtain required documents to register for legalization.