Haitians in the Dominican Republic

Paul Meyer Reimer

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola. Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, has a GDP about one third that of the Dominican Republic.

Many of the issues between the two countries are reminiscent of those between the U.S. and Mexico where the economic difference across the border has created an irresistable urge for migration.

Many Haitians have made the trek to the DR to try to earn a better life. Haitians have long been employed as braceros, or sugar cane cutters--very tough, seasonal work for six months out of the year that Dominicans are almost completely unwilling to do. (Cuba, where the Cubans do this work in the sugar fields, shows that this pattern is not inevitable).

Now, Haitians are becoming the most important source of cheap labor for construction work in the DR capital, Santo Domingo.

Immigration of Haitians to the DR has long been a bone of contention between the two countries: In a bloody incident in 1937 known as El Corte, Trujillo had something like 18,000 Haitians rounded up and summarily killed.

While not as extreme, DR politicians, noteably Balaguer as recently as the early 90s, have tried to score political points by rounding up Haitians for repatriation, calling forth strong criticism from, at times, none other than the state-owned sugar company, which is dependent on Haitian labor.

There's been concern that Haitians have not been allowed to gather their possessions before being repatriated. Children born in the DR of Haitian parents are also in a twilight situation--though guaranteed of DR citizenship in the constitution, administrative barriers have prevented them from claiming it.

There are some signs of movement, President Fernández took the initiative to visit Haiti this year, and agreements ranging from tourism to postal service were signed.