Vol. 77/No. 38      October 28, 2013

In a 11-2 vote the court took advantage of a case filed by Dominican-born Juliana Deguis Pierre, 29, whose parents are Haitian, to issue a sweeping ruling denying “Dominican nationality” to anyone whose parents were not “legal” residents. Pierre had challenged the Central Electoral Board for withholding her identity card. The board is in charge of the country’s civil registry, including issuing IDs and birth certificate copies.

“This is a racist, anti-Haitian ruling that violates the constitution,” Antonio Pol Emil, president of the Dominican-Haitian Cultural Center in Santo Domingo, told the Militant by phone Oct. 15.

The ruling could leave several generations of Dominicans of Haitian descent, who have no ties to Haiti and don’t speak French or Creole, without citizenship in any country.

For decades hundreds of thousands of Haitians have crossed the border to work in factories and fields in the Dominican Republic.

“Thousands of Dominicans will find themselves blocked from exercising their fundamental rights, they will daily face the risk of massive deportations,” notes an Oct. 1 statement by 14 human rights, democratic rights and community groups in the Dominican Republic.

A broad coalition has called for a protest in Santo Domingo Oct. 27, Paola Pelletier, a spokesperson for Centro Bonó, said by phone. “People will be coming from all over the country,” she said.
 
 
Related article:
Protesters demand ‘reform’ and an end to deportations
US gov’t steps up criminalization of immigrants
 
 
 
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