URGENT ACTION

END RACIST DEPORTATIONS OF HAITIANS

President Luis Abinader announced on 2 October 2024 a plan to deport up to 10,000 of people from Haiti per week, starting on 4 October 2024. This risks mass human rights violations in the Dominican Republic. This increase in deportations could intensify the existing unlawful practices of collective expulsions, including of people in need of protection, pregnant women, children, stateless individuals, and asylum seekers, violating international law. We call for to immediately end the collective expulsions and ensure that migration policies and practices respect and protect everyone from racial discrimination.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

 Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, President of the Dominican Republic
Av. México esq. Calle Dr. Delgado, Palacio Nacional,
      Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
X, Instagram and Facebook: @luisabinader
Email: info@presidencia.gob.do
Dear President,

I am writing to express my grave concern regarding the recent announced and in process of early implementation measures aimed at increasing the collective deportations of migrants, particularly targeting Haitians on the move, to a staggering rate of up to 10,000 per week. This alarming plan poses a serious threat to the human rights of countless Haitian migrants, asylum seekers, and Dominicans of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic.

The announced increase of deportations poses a serious risk of racial profiling, collective expulsions, and other human rights violations, in violation of the prohibition of racial discrimination and other international obligations. The measure risks resulting in preventing individualized assessments of each person's protection needs, including those in need of protection, pregnant women, children, stateless individuals, and asylum seekers.

Furthermore, Dominicans of Haitian descent and stateless individuals face an increased risk of wrongful detention and deportation, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The lack of accountability for racist migration policies that harm Black individuals and the absence of human rights safeguards in the implementation of these measures further undermines the government's pledges regarding respect for human rights. This indicates a troubling pattern of disregard for the rights and dignity of all people in the country.

I urge you to reconsider these racist migration policies against Haitians on the move and prioritize the protection of human rights for all. The international community is watching, and your commitment to uphold human dignity must be demonstrated through actions that protect rather than harm.

I call on your government to immediately end the practice of collective expulsions and ensure that migration policies and practices respect and protect everyone from racial discrimination and comply with Dominican Republic’s international human rights obligations.

Sincerely,

Additional information

On October 2, 2024, President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic announced the immediate implementation of a plan to deport up to 10,000 migrants per week. This measure raises significant concerns about the treatment of Haitians, Dominicans of Haitian descent, stateless individuals, and Black people in the Dominican Republic.

This announcement comes despite the security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti that puts many lives at risk. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), by September 2024, the Dominican government had deported 128,174 people, including more than 6,000 adolescents, girls, and boys. Thus, these additional measures would nearly triple the rate of weekly deportations that have been maintained during 2024.

Amnesty International has condemned, in an open letter addressed to President Luis Abinader in April and in a recent statement, the urgent need for Dominican authorities to end racist migration policies and halt collective expulsions and deportations of Haitians, in violation of the Dominican Republic's international human rights obligations.

Amnesty International has emphasized the urgent need for Dominican institutions to eradicate racial profiling, structural racism, and racial discrimination, ensuring respect for the human dignity and physical integrity of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent.

These actions not only affect Haitians but also endanger Dominicans of Haitian descent and Black individuals, who face the possibility of their national origin, race, skin color, or statelessness being associated with irregular migration status due to constant racial profiling and other forms of racial discrimination. This dynamic has created a climate of fear and risk in their communities, with the constant uncertainty of being arbitrarily detained and deported. This impedes and inhibits the exercise of various rights, including access to health care, education, employment, and the very defense of human rights.

Despite government promises to respect human rights, evidence suggests that violations persist, including the arbitrary detention of minors and pregnant women, excessive use of force by authorities, among others. However, high-level state officials have denied the evidence presented by Amnesty International and others regarding the impact on human rights of migration policies. At the same time, these measures have been sustained by narratives that stigmatize Haitians, including pregnant women accessing public health services, and girls and boys accessing public education.
 
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Spanish or English
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: February 1, 2025
NAME AND PREFERRED PRONOUN: Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (male)
LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: N/A

Additional targets

His Excellency Mr Elnio Manuel Duran
Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary
Embassy of the Dominican Republic
81 Cromwell Road, SW7 5BW
020 7262 6856
pa@dominicanembassy.org.uk
www.dominicanembassy.org.uk
Monday-Friday 10.00-16.00
Salutation: Your Excellency

Additional links:

- https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr27/7897/2024/en/
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/08/president-luis-abinaders-second-mandate-must-prioritize-respect-human-rights-end-racist-migration-policies/
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/08/la-negacion-del-racismo-no-exime-al-gobierno-dominicano-de-su-responsabilidad-con-los-derechos-humanos/
- https://oneamnesty.sharepoint.com/sites/app-secretariatopensend/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?share=EqAHx5KsL-1AqD12GtBN1ZUBzUlAq44Jf_yXH7mZEawBTQ&e=BrswpQ