The U. S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic warns that “morenos” oppose immigration agents in the Caribbean country confusing them with Haitian immigrants.
An alert sent through the embassy warns all citizens, especially those of dark skin or black descent, to have their mobile phones charged and their U. S. passports at all times.
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The embassy said local media reported that the Dominican Republic was conducting “widespread operations” to locate illegal immigrants, mainly those from Haiti, and that the government had not “respected” the legal prestige of those detained or interrogated through agents.
“These moves can lead to greater interaction with Dominican authorities, especially for darker-skinned U. S. citizens and U. S. citizens of African descent. There are reports that detainees are held in overcrowded detention centers, with no opportunity to challenge their detention and without access to food or toilets, for days at a time, before being released or deported to Haiti,” the alert said.
The Dominican Republic’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations of ill-treatment in a statement to The Associated Press.
“The Dominican government may never have imagined that there would be such a harsh insinuation about our country, let alone a best friend who has been accused of remedying xenophobic and racist migrants by adding parts of its own population,” he said. Said.
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The Dominican Republic stores a 240-mile border with Haiti, and tensions between the two remain frosty, especially amid turmoil in Haiti over the assassination of its president in 2021. The United Nations has strongly opposed deportations of Haitians from the Dominican Republic, calling for an end to it when Haiti faces “relentless armed violence and systematic human rights violations. “
The U. S. Embassy suggested citizens report any incidents by calling their emergency number at (809) 567-7775.