What are your thoughts on today's expiration date for the undocumented

I too am somewhat worried about the process. There are a lot of Haitians who do an  honest day's work here and I would hate to see those and there families go.  However there are also a lot of thieves, crooks, prostitutes, vagrants who I will not miss for a nono second.  Yes these same "types" are here as Dominicans but at least some of the problem ones will be gone. However I fear they are gong to throw out the baby with the bath water.

I am also concerned on how those being sent back will not be treated fairly or humanely.  Haitians have never been respected here in the past.  This can also be seen in the sham of a process to get documented (by  both governments).  I know we started the process for our gardener over 2 months ago and he still does not have his documentation, only the paper that he has registered.

This could be quite the disaster.....

Bob K

It is likely  to be a bit of a mess.  WE have had conflicting reports in the news over what will happen next.  One report said nothing will be done for  45 more days, others say it starts at 7pm today........

As I understand Bob your guy is fine as he has started  the process. So many have not.

The whole situation is complicated. It is just not simple.  Illegals take jobs,  don't pay taxes, drive down the salaries. They also do jobs Dominicans consider beneath them.  Others  just are a huge cost to the system!   Who pays for that - others!  Do you know 96% of maternity cases anywhere near the boarder are illegal Haitian women?  They do it for free healthcare and thinking their child will be Dominican.  Yet thousands of young Dominican women cannot get  care and die giving birth!  Just one example. 

My point is - its not simple and we don't even know 10% of the issue and concerns really.

The political shenanigans are nothing new  and should not be confused or lumped in with this whole process! This to me is separate and distinct in its issues and scope.  As well in its potential for disaster.

WE need to keep a calm head as we move forward, there will be people looking to create issues here,  news people looking to make headlines and groups with ulterior motives looking to incite trouble.

Planner you are so right on so many points.

Like you said the jobs that many Haitians have would not be considered by a Dominican as worthy of them.  So who is going to do all the constructions hard labor, gardening, house keeping???  It  has the potential of being a mess.

Our president is speaking tonight... maybe he will shed some light.

Bob K

Yes Bob their will be jobs that go unfilled.  Wages will have to go up on some before Dominicans will take them.  Not so different from what happens in the USA I think.  Illegals take the marginal jobs that Americans are not willing to do for those rates. 

Only when the SYSTEM gets fixed will this resolve.

We need to be careful of criticizing here - we are guests.  And we need to make sure there are no issues in our own back yards before we start speaking out about here.  Too many countries and  governments are criticizing the DR  and yet they have their own issues.

Reality is that the DR cannot absorb the  problem,  they just cannot afford to do it.

Good points by both of you.  Planner.....the reason I threw in the politics was because of the Populist speech Danilo Medina gave before the Caricom Reunion in Cuba...,.He said a few things that were not simply true before that committee, and I guess that should have been a red flag as to what was about to take place currently with his own reelection Shenanigans.  I just don't see how this guy can have any credibility when there are countless hours of footage of him saying he did not believe in reelection and that he only wanted 4 years.  We live in an era of video recordings and if you wish to have credibility, you must say what you mean and mean what you say   Tonight's speech will simply be another opportunity to use the repatriation topic to gain back his popularity......don't you find it odd that he chose to speak on the night when the inscription process is closing   Sounds to me like 3 card Monte.....He will use the immigration situation to distract from his recent fibbing on reelection.......You can bet your bottom dollar on that

I must add one more thing Bob.....Totally agree with you that many of the bad apples will be washed away with the new regulations which is a good thing, but once again you are correct in saying that many of the good ones will pay as well Many families will be broken just as they do here with some of the illegal Latino immigrants who pick our fruits and vegetables, landscape or gardens, and cook and clean for us.  Your employee has 45 days after today to hopefully get his ID.....planner is correct in that fact, but who is to say that on his way home, he is not stopped and regardless of having that paper or not, he is not stripped of all personal belongings and forced to get on a bus back to Haiti? Who is policing the police   In DR? That is like placing a fat kid to watch your candy store In all honesty, knowing the history of the 2 nations, combined with underpayed military and police staff, I smell$$$$$$$ Big bussiness over the next few years........Let us not be blind and forget that 100's of illegal Haitians enter the border daily, so am I to believe that suddenly what has been bussiness as usual will just come to a halt The scenario that is more likely is this one........Round up the illegals, cross them over to Haiti, then charge them a fee to re enter.......then start all over again   $$$$ That sounds like the real scenario that will be taking place......I will simply wait and see how many illegals with the so called inscription receipt end up on the other side.......It is just a matter of time before these violations begin to occur.  Their rights have been violated numerous times in the past, so forgive me if I'm not buying into the whole......let us do the right thing propaganda I just don't feel deep in my heart that these people were really being set up to succeed.

In the US, only 2% of all the produce pickers are illegal migrants.   It is a bit different in the DR.  The greatest motive  is hunger & family.   In the US over 50% of the population receives some sort of hand out from the Gov. The citizens are not privy to that largess of mis-guided  idiots who allow this to occur.  That will never happen here in the DR.  I foresee a tenfold increase of the problems.   In the end, Mother Nature will solve it all in the natural way. Too many people self destruct,  always have & always will.  Sad, but true..

Bravo! I just saw an 18 minute Informercial by Prez D. Medina......I must say.....It was wel edited.  Lot's of pretty words and of course.....the old: I could not refuse the people's calling for reelection, how could I disappoint the masses. The speech sounded a bit Mesianic to me, but I guess time will tell if this guy is who he really presents himself to be.  I will be convinced when I see what he accomplishes in the next 4 years of his presidency.  When a person in so desperate to bend rules, just to remain in power, it can be a bit worrisome......Remember Mr. Fidel I will be watching and eating my popcorn over the next few months

Lionel  did it too, but I think that there is a better chance with Medina.

Yes Lionel did it as well and he had the nerve to try and stop Medina from doing it. Kind of a two faced point to me.  But then again Lionel had the ambition like Chavez (his hero) to be president for life.

Medina's re-election could be a very good think for the DR.

Bob K

I agree, and I actually like the guy......I just hope that he continues to work like he has done during these past 4,years, since that for the first time in a long time, the Dominican people have a sense of hope this time, things will get better.  I was impressed that he did no use the re patriation issue during this speech to inject a bit of a boost to his popularity after this whole reelection thing has played out so public.......I still have some Faith in Danilo, hope he does not fail his people.  He truly has a chance to make history, but he must also be careful since this little move has ruffled quite a few feathers.

Good afternoon everyone. Interesting post

The Dominican people are the only ones who can really decide what is better for their future and I respect and trust in many of the decisions they take. Some foreigners are used to underestimate the Dominican people capacity based on their interactions with individuals of a poor social status . The true is there is a powerful resurgent middle class and high class in the Island capable of bringing this country and all its people to a better and successful future. Yes there are some cases of corruption, but there is no country that is immune to it, or who was going to predict that right there in Canada all the senators were spending the taxpayer bucks extravagantly thinking they were immune to corruption charges.

Last April the Dominican president had the 90% of popularity as per this source of news, and this is the kind of source that brings down all doubts and unfunded slanders.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-republic … d-a-Danilo

Many Dominicans with a high education level has said that he has been the best president of the entire Dominican history, that's something to consider. If he said something before and now he is saying something different, well, guess what, this is a human pattern. We all don't think today the same way we used to think 20 years ago, unless someone doesn't want to evolve. Change is synonymous with progress and this is what I can see here.

As for the deportation issues, Haitians are victims of their own subsequent governments, plagued of dictatorships, bloody coup d'états, gangrenous corruption, that have shown many times their lack of responsibility and disinterest for their own people. Also, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama, Cuba,  Brazil, and many other countries have repatriated the poor Haitians within days of arriving to its coasts by boat. Even Canada is starting to deport those with irregular status.

Yes it's very sad, many of them don't deserve to leave. But plenty of them are expressing high and clear their immense gratitude to this country and that they will leave to obey the rules and start a new life again in their own country.

DR tuttle......Not even God has a popularity rating of 90%    Dont be fooled by the propaganda......I do not mean to underestimate the people on voting, but when votes can be bought for a couple or hundred pesos, a chicken or two and a bag of rice......Hummmmm that really shores up my estimation faith   My dear friend, just about everything is for sale in DR, even a vote.......How do you think Danilo got his reelection process pushed through the senate? Once again.....I like the guy and I just hope he does not turn out to be a Wolf in Sheeps Clothing........This is how Hugo initially won over the masses.......pay the poor some attention after being ignored for so long, and by the time they realize what is truly happening, the KoolAid has set in their systems

Halftime is over for the immigrants.......Now let us see how many of the illegals who managed to sign up will qualify for a cedula in order to stay......I keep hearing on the news how successful the legalization plan turned out to be, but just because you managed to sign up, does not mean you are guaranteed legal status......perhaps those in category A have a better chance at naturalization since they were born in DR, but group B will have a harder time.

45 days after inscription of each individual will not be enough time to process each application....Bob has mentioned that his employee has registered and still has not heard anything, and mind you Bob is one of many employers who has been kind enough to help his employee with this issue, and is seeing first hand the little 3 card Monte game that is taking place.

       The program itself took about 6 months just to get organized, there was no mass propaganda to inform the illegals to sign up.....I personally did not see any comercials on DR television or Radio explaining the process and clearly detailing what was needed.  The inscription process is free, but here is the kicker.......the boat load of documents, which have to be translated and notarized is a very expensive process for many of these illegals, most of these folks live hand to mouth.  Lastly......what will the criteria be for rounding up these illegals? There are 23 nations of illegals in DR, but which method will they choose to single out who to stop and frisk   I think we know the answer to that one! The other 23 nationals will more than likely fly under the radar as tourists or bussiness people.
       
     These are the reasons why I truly wonder how much of this process was meant to truly help these folks, and how much of it was to simply pacify international pressure to regulate an ongoing problen

Yes all the "correct" paper work for our employee has been submitted.  We are now waiting, but he should be one of the 20% or so who will actually see a cedula.

The 20% is my  best guess.

Bob K

The Dominican government has to prioritize the economic recourses for it's people first. They cannot keep absorbing the Haitian problem when right here in D.R the population living below the national poverty line is the 41%. To start reducing these numbers, they have to start by fixing the immigration disaster.

You definitely keep underestimating the Dominican people if you think they will let Danilo do like the extinct Chavez. Dominicans can give a Master Class to Venezuelans and Cubans on how to get rid of a dictatorship without help from anyone.

Not underestimating them at all......I'm familiarized with the Trujillo story, but then again, how long did that last? And right after they had balaguer.......look him up.  It seems to me that they have not chosen well through out history

Let us not forget the wonderful job Hipilito (sp) did for the country... another great choice.

Bob K

It is just possible that the "propoganda" might be accurate.  Its always possible.  My take - Medina has done a pretty good job so far and I would vote for him if I could.  Is he perfect  - no, can he solve all the problems - no,  can he even make a dent in them - no.  But at least he is trying.  He has done a lot for this country in 4 years. 

His approval ratings are real!  There have been way too many polls saying the same things to ignore them. 

That being said -  we don't get a say, nor a vote in this process. All we can do is watch. 

The issue with illegals is bigger then all of us.  None of us knows what is actually going on, I won't pretend I do and I live it 24/7!

I just read a well written article/comment on Facebook by Kryzz Gautier. Here it is:

Kryzz Gautier

I've stayed quiet on the "DR is violating Haitian human rights" thing for a long time because I wanted to avoid a confrontation with other Dominicans, but now that my newsfeed is starting to get filled with foreigners who are entirely ignorant about what is truly happening all while linking to ridiculous articles like these ones and talking about boycotting the DR since we're apparently racist scum I've about had it.

No, apartheid is not happening as I've heard a handful claim. No, people's human rights aren't being violated. No, Haitians aren't being dragged out of their houses at gun point, put on a bus, taken to the border, and dropped off. It's 2015. Have we not learned the media lies and sensationalizes as it pleases? Please educate yourselves with more than a blurry Facebook picture accompanied by a poorly written caption begging you to share before you start spewing idiocy and calling for the boycott of a country that for close to a century has done nothing but basically carry one of the poorest nations in the world on its metaphorical back.

I actually saw some white guy - who I confirmed has never been to DR or studied Dominican history - bring up Jim Crow laws trying to compare this to the situation in DR right now. What a pile of crap. Putting a country trying to enforce immigration laws in the same sentence as racist, segregationist laws is both absurd and ignorant. The DR has a population of roughly 10,000,000. Last reputable source I read claimed the estimated number of illegal Haitians in the DR is about 3,000,000. Think of any other country in the world where a nation of that size wouldn't take action to control the influx of mostly poor, illegal immigrants. Go on. Name me some. Fairness of global immigration laws aside, deportations of illegal aliens happen every day in the US, in Europe, in Asia, in Canada, in Australia, etc. Do I see a call for boycotting and tabloid-like articles being written about it? No. No one can pick on the big guys in the playground but a small island in the Caribbean is apparently an easy target for international bullying.
Here are the facts: for almost 100 years Haitians have pretty much had free access to the DR. Our borders are a joke. People come and go as they please. Just like in the US, this steady stream of undocumented humans has helped the creation of dirt cheap labor that has obviously led to the exploitation of Haitians by some unscrupulous individuals and corporations. True. No one will argue with you there. But for the most part Haitians and Dominicans live in peace and share the space. We trust them to live in our houses, cooking our food, taking care of our children, or working as our security guards. Having had first hand experience with this for the first 20 years of my life I can guarantee you the real part of the story is that we co-exist much like illegal Latinos live amongst Americans in the US without any major drama regardless of what right-wing Republicans may believe. As Dominicans, we appreciate the services they render for us and admit the DR would be worse off if they all suddenly sauntered back to their country and Haitians are grateful for the opportunity of having a better life than they would back in Haiti so they keep their heads down and work hard day in and day out. Cliffnotes version: we're respectful to and of each other.

A couple of years ago the government decided immigration laws needed to be enacted. Every developed country has them, why shouldn't we be allowed to? The way that it worked for decades is that anyone could just come to the DR, live, and work without so much as a single piece of paper having to be compulsorily filed. This included Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and Asians. What did the government do? EVERY foreign national living in the Dominican Republic had to bring ONE piece of official documentation proving identity and bam...you have yourself legal Dominican Residency. They gave people a little over a year to do so. The year came and went but the vast majority of Haitians had not registered themselves. Clearly this wasn't because the process was restrictive or complicated. It was actually quite simple and welcoming. Well, turns out the Haitian government/consulates started charging exorbitant prices to issue birth certificates and other forms of ID. Corrupt Haitian officials make it basically impossible for their citizens to obtain the one document they need to register as legal residents in the Dominican Republic but the DR is the bad guy in the show since apparently the truth is not as entertaining to write. It is not our responsibility to police their country and their corruption. All the Dominican government cares about is that most illegal aliens in the country didn't follow the one simple law they established so now they must act. There is talk about mass deportations and no one knows if that is just a rumor created in the middle of the smear campaign going on against the DR right now or if it is true, but in my opinion if they happen they are entirely justified.

The Dominican Republic has helped Haiti more than any other foreign nation ever has. Full stop. End of story. I will fight you on this no matter how many shoddy facts you throw at me. We've done our part for a century, we gave them a year to do theirs. They didn't comply, then they must go. The fact of the matter is, the DR is a poor country that can't realistically support and adopt a separate, democratic, and autonomous nation just because we happen to share an island. They mismanaged their side so they have to deal with the consequences. This isn't racism, classism, or whatever other enraging word I've seen used in the last few months. This is simply common fucking sense.

It does not matter how many articles you present, each mind is it's own world......but do not underestimate outside opinions, you would be surprised at how well informed outsiders are since they are looking at the situation from a non emotional point of view 

Vero thanks for sharing this article. We are well aware of the situation, I can tell you with property that nothing is really happening. The information is being manipulated abroad mainly by the Haitians elites and others that vainly proclaim themselves to be Haitians and have never put a feet in Haitian ground, also some NGO like the discredited by default Amnesty International just to keep receiving funds from a few that have nothing else to do with their money or some individuals easy to brain wash.

Three weeks ago I did a business tour from the center of the Island to the south coast and nothing is really happening, I had the privilege to assist by invitation to reunions where both Haitians and Dominicans from the local municipalities were present and all I could see was a very humble atmosphere of cooperation and mutual gratitude. In most of the localities Dominicans were referring to their neighbors as " Los Hermanos Haitianos" (Haitian brothers) I was really impressed and exited to see that what is happening here is something completely different of what some media outlets are saying abroad.

It is pretty clear almost everyone has an "agenda", whether it is to incite trouble or manage it.  It doesn't matter, none of us knows the full story.

For those of us HERE -   All we can do is say what we actually see and tell the story  as it unfolds!

I am product of growing up in 60's so i trust no one in the press.   And as usual the wold pres has their collective heads where  the sun don't shine.

Bob K

I say good. I will help them leave

There is media manipulation on both sides, and somewhere in the middle is the truth.  Only time will tell how this affects the Dominican Republic.....They are not in a position to be ostracized by other communities.  Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York already threw in his opinion by calling for New Yorkers to boycott DR......If this little immigration process takes a wrong turn, DR will truly begin to feel the pressure and Ohhhh let's not forget that Haiti is DR's biggest consumer........so they better think this thing thru very carefully.

       The outrage abroad has nothing to do with illegal immigrants.  We all agree that they should either be regulated or be sent back home.  No arguments from me there.  The outrage is about those Haitians who were born in DR during a time when the constitution said:  If you were born in DR soil, you are a Dominican.  Fast forward 2010 the constitution was then modified to retroactively denationalize a large majority of Dominican/Hatians who were all along considered Dominicans and were even given Dominican Birth Certicates.  This is what is causing the outrage, what would you guys say to Canadians or Americans who had been issued birth certificates, then suddenly were told they are no longer a citizen because your descendants are from China, India, Russia, Africa.......etc It seems to me that everyone else sees this as wrong except for the Dominican people, well not all but a large portion of the population.  There is no worst blind person than the bling person who does not wish to see

Okay Massagewiz

It's kind of senseless to compare the U.S. & Canada with D.R. . The first two are developed countries and the geographical extensions of both is huge compared to the half of an Island of only 48670 km² . You are comparing the half of the American continent with the second bigger Island in the Caribbean o_0

Bill De Blasio has no say at all in this issue, and his lack of knowledge and international boycott incitement will cause a boomerang effect that will skyrocket the tourist visits in D.R. We just have to thank him for the free advertisement LOL

According to All Dominican constitutions since 1929, those born to illegal residents, or to individuals in certain "transient" categories, have never qualified for Dominican birthright citizenship, unless they were ineligible for the citizenship of their parents by right of blood. Since 1939, a valid Dominican birth declaration has required parents to show valid officially issued identification cards ("cedula"). Illegal residents cannot legally obtain such ID's.

145 of 194 countries including D.R. and HAITI, do not award automatic citizenship at birth to those born to illegal residents, and 19 are of unknown policy, leaving only 30 countries confirmed to do so.

In fact, many countries award citizenship regardless of birthplace, but only to children born to their own citizens (jus sanguinis) as, ironically, does Haiti itself! According to Haiti's constitution, no one with a Haitian parent can become stateless, and Haitian parents can obtain birth certificates from Haitian consulates worldwide (four of which are in the Dominican Republic). By the same token, a child born in Haiti to Dominicans or any non-Haitians is denied Haitian citizenship, not only if the parents are illegal residents in Haiti, but even if they have long been legal permanent residents there.

Let the Dominican Government decide what is best for their own people and future, they have plenty of qualified professionals to deal with the situation.

My Dear DRTuttle. You are correct in your transient status statement, however, those sugar cane workers who were contracted by agreement between DR and Haiti were provided with ID's which allowed them legal status while working in DR, thereby allowing them to register their children born in DR as Dominican citizens.  Are you aware of the Jean and Bosico case or the most recent Juliani Deguis case? Are you aware that DR was condemned twice in the international court for denaturalization of Dominico/ Hatian Nationals? and lost   If these people were considered illegal as you claim, then why would they have been issued Dominican Birth Certificates to only have them revoked later on by a constitutional amendment years later???? Wow!   real competent folks at work here!
      I used Canada and America as an example simply in theory........are you seriously going to tell me that if the denaturalization of current Americans who are not descendants of the pilgrims got kicked out, the world would be quiet about that   I think not! Illegals is one thing Dominican/Hatian citizens is another.  Bill Di Blasio just as anyone else has a right to their opinion, I'm pretty sure IF the U.S. Started deporting Dominican citizens tomorrow, Dominicans would have a whole lot to say    Last time I checked, free speech was still allowed

DRTuttle here is an article written by Aljazeera which explains my point......BBC and Aljazeera are respected news sources that are for the most part neutral and do their research well.  I would take these news sources much more seriously than most emanating out of DR since most of them are in bed with the government  http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinio … 87906.html

You are so right, except that freedom of speech and tergiversation of reality are two completely different things

At the end of the story this is not our fight. There will always be someone getting benefited from this chaos.

Thanks for the sources, but I relay on my own sources and resources

Correct once again DRTuttle it is their fight, but if there are indeed violations taking place anywhere on the planet, I would truly love for international communities to lend a helping hand to those who cannot fight for themselves.....that has always been the American way   As far as info being spun or not.....Somewhere in the middle we will find the truth and that is what the presentation of facts do......they help us get to the truth It is their fight, but they cannot expect the rest of the world not to have an opinion if the right thing is not being done Changing the rules after the game begins is not very nice

Does anybody here likes Game of Thrones?.. "You know nothing Jon Snow", that may apply for that massagewiz.

Sureeeee lets take all the children of the Haitians in transit or illegal status.. Soon enough well have 16 million people and no mangu to eat, then youll take me back to Gringolandia with you..

PS. I dont like cold weather. o.o

RDE1000 I'm familiar with the show, but I have only watched one episode, so..........I'm clueless as to what you are trying to convey. If you are alluding to the notion that I'm not informed, I assure you that I can debate just about anyone who wishes to do so.  I will make my point once again, just in case I did not make myself clear before.  I'm for deporting anyone who is illegal in DR.......If they can't prove they entered legally, then send them back to Haiti, Russia, Ecuador, Venezuela, China, India, etc.......What I don't agree with is changing the rules in mid game to solve a problem the Dominican Republic brought upon itself by bringing Hatian migrant workers to cut sugar cane in the early 1900's What did the Dominican Republic think? These people were not going to have offsprings while working in the Dominican Republic????   If that was the case, then they should have never recognized those offsprings as Dominican in the first place to begin with! They should have had those kids registered as Hatian Nationals from wayyyyyy back then........Why wait for them to grow in such large numbers and then try to pull the rug from under them????

          What would you say if we started deporting Dominicans who were born abroad? Not just the illegal ones, but the ones born on foreign soil as well? Will you think it was cool or would you cry foul??? That is the reason the international community is up in your business.  You guys love baseball right??? You get 9 innings, but because I'm winning and you start to mount a comeback, I then decide to make it 7 innings instead of 9 and declare myself the winner Would that be fair play?

RDE1000 When you bring me some facts to support your position, I will be more than happy to entertain you......but until then, let the Big Boys Debate

Debate -  well  unless you are here and experiencing this then all this is speculation and opinion.  Facts - well they can and are twisted by everyone! 

I will let this continue as long as it stays friendly,  no nasty words or name calling is allowed.

I would like to know the exact number of those affected by the regulation, as from the beginning of the 1900 century until now there is a huge lapse of time ( +100 years) and the only Sugar Cane factory that is still open is that one of La Romana.

Anyways, for those that can speak, read, and understand Spanish very well, you can find today some news about the Government informing by Video Interviews to Haitians called : "Ya tengo mis papeles" ( I got my papers ). What a best way to dispel disinformation and malicious comments.

Absolutely Planner I'm always a gentleman with a Smile DRTuttle I never said Hatians were not getting their papers, heck Julianna Deguis eventually got her papers.  There will be ID's issued, but we can't call the plan a success until the final numbers are in.  The Government is calling the plan a success without having any true numbers of who have gotten ID's or not.  As far as debate planner....I would probably debate with historical facts not current media spin.  I watch the news from the DR from various sources and unless you guys are telling me that the news report coming out of DR are incorrect....then I will have to concede to being wrong.  I follow Alicia Ortega, Marino Zapete, and Salvador Holguin....all serious respected journalist from the DR.  There is recorded footage of non Hatians not having to wait online to get inscribed, there have been a few cases of Hatians been sent to the border even though they had the receipt which granted them the 45 days extension. Last night on noticias SIN a few Hatians were interviewed and said the electoral board refused to give them a receipt of proof after turning the required documents for ID qualification.
     
       It is well documented that many hurdles have been put in place to make this whole process appear to be transparent, but those of us who know the real deal, will not be fooled by smoke screens. All you have to do is read all the antihaitianismo comments on Twitter, heck I'm Afro Latino and I'm appalled by what some of my Dominican friends say and feel about the Haitians.  The dislike between these 2 have a long history, and if anyone thinks that is going to change overnight, then we are really being naive.  Let the dust settle and have that speak for itself.......but just as proof of the so called good intention, please tell me why would you ask Dominican/Hatian Nationals to reapply for naturalization after they were considered citizens all along
   
       Let's wait and see what transpires a few months from now, and If I'm proven wrong......no problem, but I'm still not convinced the government has these people true interests at heart.
Here is a link to Julianna Deguis Pierre Story if you wish to read about her odyssey, her case is not unique, but as you guys like to admit.......The media will not always be balanced and only a few brave reporters will ever give folks like her a chance to let her case heard. If you do not have a mic, then how would you story be told https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_Deguis

My apologies DR....I forgot to answer your first question......It is not the cane workers I'm referring to, it is their descendants and the number hovers somewhere between 200-300,000

Here is a little YouTube clip in Spanish of Danilo Medina speaking about the ordeal many which many of the young Dominican/Hatian descendants have had to endure because of the constitutional changes to which he clearly says: Cannot be applied retroactively unless it benefits its citizens He actually apologizes to the folks who have been affected, but a few weeks after his Cuban Caricom meeting, he denies that this practice was not even taking place and that DR had never been condemned in the international courts for rights violations.  If I'm not mistaken I believe they have 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoBWUjQM2S4

Here is Marino Zapete poking some holes in Danilo Caricom speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-lpzAVLe4

You will hear him speak about how the electoral board meticulously as of 2007 seeked out Dominicans with Frech last names and slowly purged them from the rolls......mind you many of these folks voted in many elections, but suddenly they are nonregisterd citizens??? Upon trying to get a cedula, all their former documents were declared non valid......Then you wonder why I'm not so quick to jump on the Kumbayaaa band wagon?

Here is another link that truly gives a more realistic view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUyTkjs1Qg4

The only way the Major of New York and many others can show solidarity with Haiti is by accepting one million Haitians in their territory. Period