Offices to Register Foreigners

Just got back from a vegetable market in Los Castillos that used to be staffed by Haitians.  Migracion rounded them up and now Dominicans are selling the produce.

And raids are being reported in Veron today too.

DGM are in full flow with strong public backing and that will all help the future operation of the Foreigner Registry Offices once they get established.

What was lacking here was a government determination to deal with illegal immigration.

There has been a rapid surge in urgency due to Haiti and we are just seeing the beginning of gradual proper rigid enforcement and expats too need to take notice because it is known where foreigners live.

lennoxnev wrote:

And raids are being reported in Veron today too.

DGM are in full flow with strong public backing and that will all help the future operation of the Foreigner Registry Offices once they get established.

What was lacking here was a government determination to deal with illegal immigration.

There has been a rapid surge in urgency due to Haiti and we are just seeing the beginning of gradual proper rigid enforcement and expats too need to take notice because it is known where foreigners live.

Nobody thinks that other foreigners will be targeted.

Do they? 

windeguy wrote:

Nobody thinks that other foreigners will be targeted.

Do they? 

They will be, but for now other ilegals are not  using the hospital beds and services that must be use it for all the dominicans as poor as Haitians and for those one the dominican goverment is call to help first. 

Do not know from wich country you are but im sure that in your country tourist and ilegals has full health service and 100% free as Haitians used to have here?

Riva31 wrote:

windeguy wrote:

Nobody thinks that other foreigners will be targeted.

Do they? 

They will be, but for now other ilegals are not  using the hospital beds and services that must be use it for all the dominicans as poor as Haitians and for those one the dominican goverment is call to help first. 

Do not know from wich country you are but im sure that in your country tourist and ilegals has full health service and 100% free as Haitians used to have here?

I am dual citizen US/DR.

I have problems with both countries not enforcing the laws as written.

Haitians don't get full health service in the DR, As I understand it is just emergency care. 

Only DR citizens are eligible for SENASA which is limited government health care, or they pay for private insurance.

windeguy wrote:

Riva31 wrote:

windeguy wrote:

Nobody thinks that other foreigners will be targeted.

Do they? 

They will be, but for now other ilegals are not  using the hospital beds and services that must be use it for all the dominicans as poor as Haitians and for those one the dominican goverment is call to help first. 

Do not know from wich country you are but im sure that in your country tourist and ilegals has full health service and 100% free as Haitians used to have here?

I am dual citizen US/DR.

I have problems with both countries not enforcing the laws as written.

Haitians don't get full health service in the DR, As I understand it is just emergency care. 

Only DR citizens are eligible for SENASA which is limited government health care, or they pay for private insurance.

I see you are not well informed, Haitians had more provilages than Dominicans in public hospitals, they come for the services and simple says they dont have money, and get everything for free,  the part only emergemcy started llast week,  and I see that you are clear that in USA not even emergemcies are for free USA.   

Right now the problem are Haitians so the target are the Haitians and also because they are the most living here as ilegal.

Riva31 wrote:

windeguy wrote:

Riva31 wrote:

They will be, but for now other ilegals are not  using the hospital beds and services that must be use it for all the dominicans as poor as Haitians and for those one the dominican goverment is call to help first. 

Do not know from wich country you are but im sure that in your country tourist and ilegals has full health service and 100% free as Haitians used to have here?

I am dual citizen US/DR.

I have problems with both countries not enforcing the laws as written.

Haitians don't get full health service in the DR, As I understand it is just emergency care. 

Only DR citizens are eligible for SENASA which is limited government health care, or they pay for private insurance.

I see you are not well informed, Haitians had more provilages than Dominicans in public hospitals, they come for the services and simple says they dont have money, and get everything for free,  the part only emergemcy started llast week,  and I see that you are clear that in USA not even emergemcies are for free USA.   

Right now the problem are Haitians so the target are the Haitians and also because they are the most living here as ilegal.

I am always willing to learn new things.  I was talking about right now in the DR.  Haitians only can get emergency services.

Try to get a heart operation in the US withoutpaying.

The Minister of Interior and Police added some more information on what is happening in relation to illegal foreigners in a lunch time speech today and pushed back on the complaints:

Chú Vásquez: «We have the obligation to defend the Dominican Republic»

https://eldia.com.do/chu-vasquez-nosotr … ominicana/

The Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesús “Chu” Vásquez, affirmed this Wednesday that one of the serious problems that the country has is the non-identification of foreign citizens who come to Dominican territory, without any type of control.

«We have the obligation to defend the Dominican Republic, and we have a serious problem with the non-identification of foreign citizens who live in our country without any type of control, we have to know how many there are, who they are, where they are and what they are. dedicated in the Dominican Republic, "said Vásquez when participating as a guest in the Corripio Communications group.

The official indicated that the Interior and Police, through the Migration Council, have begun the process of identifying foreign citizens who come to the Dominican Republic to have control.

«In this country you cannot continue to live like a goat without law, you do not have control of the territory, how are we going to be successful in applying a citizen security policy if we cannot identify the foreign citizen living in the country without any kind of control, ”said Vásquez................

You may ask who are the Migration Council.

https://www.inm.gob.do/index.php

They keep the immigration records. So they will be able to provide information on all residents, work permits holders, 'regularization' enrollees, census records, births, inbound air and boat passengers and maybe more, but not Haitians who have crossed the land border with no records - that requires the previously advised active locate and visit field work.

Is this the a starting point for all regional foreigner registration offices?

More on social media from the Minister of Interior and Police (this Ministry includes DGM):

Jesús (Chu) Vásquez assures Migration Law will be applied without exceptions

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … xcepciones

The Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesús Vásquez Martínez (Chu), assured that the Migration Law will be used in the country without exceptions, respecting human rights, as established.

Through his twitter account, the official assured that "the homeland comes first."

“The homeland comes first. From the Ministry of the Interior and Police, the Migration Law will be applied without exceptions, and respecting human rights. Our commitment is with the Dominicans, and with those foreigners who comply with our laws to stay in the country, "he said on his social network.

In addition, he expressed that just as the Senate of the Republic approved the law, the entity he directs is willing to guarantee "its faithful compliance."

“As president of the Senate in 2004 it was up to us to approve the Law on Migration. Now from the Ministry of the Interior and Police we guarantee their faithful compliance, ”he ratified in a second tweet published this Wednesday.

These statements are produced together at the time in which public opinion and various entities have spoken out in relation to the recent deportations of illegal Haitians residing in the Dominican territory.

Enforced without exceptions means all people?  Nobody will believe that.

26 days later, the registration of foreigners in the Dominican Republic does not begin

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … LI30298254

The registration of foreigners in the Dominican Republic has not yet begun 26 days after the Ministry of the Interior and Police put into operation two offices in the border provinces of Elías Piña and Dajabón.

Jesús “Chu” Vásquez, Minister of the Interior and Police, explained that the delay is due to the fact that it is necessary to comply with the purchasing procedures that are carried out through the emergency modality because, he said, it is a matter of national security.

However, the official did not explain what goods or services are being tendered because the equipment for biometric and facial registration, he said, is already there.

"No, the equipment is missing is ... we have reached an agreement with the Board (Central Electoral), so that the Board can take us biometric and facial data," he said.

With the 40 offices that the Government intends to inaugurate, it seeks to know how many there are, who they are and where are the foreigners residing in the country, regardless of their immigration status.

Foreigners must register at the office of the demarcation where they reside and if they are going to move to another city they will have to notify it in advance. There are no guarantees that the irregular foreigner who registers will not be deported because it is not a process of regularization or naturalization.

Vásquez said that they hope that the first two offices will be put into operation next week and affirmed that the work to inaugurate the others is “expedited”, ......

Of course these offices are only for Haitians.  They would never require gringos to register. 

Why don't they just use the existing JCE offices?

Legally they are for all foreigners.  Let's see how this rolls out!  If they don't make it " all inclusive" then it will be seen as racist for sure!

Correct, wait and see how it rolls out noting that yet again it refers to all foreigners regardless of immigration status will have to register including if they relocate.

And at the same time government is saying this today:

Raquel Peña warns it is necessary to strengthen immigration policies to prevent illegal actions

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … CI30298468

And that statement following Chu Vasquez is not just about Haitians.

This government has repeatly said it will apply in full the Immigration Law and is progressively applying parts of the Law not used before.

Foreigner registration and regionally imo makes absolute sense to deal with both the Haitian issue and illicit behaviour, and is done by most countries one way or another. So don't be surprised in a year or so if all expats regardless of immigration status will be required to register. For now even the first two offices are not yet operating so we don't yet know the 'modus operandi' and it is pointless speculating.

Lets stick to the topic  and not go on a tangent.

Looks like the government is going to fast track getting Haitian workers legal:

DR government will grant legal status to Haitians, says Director of Migration

https://hoy.com.do/gobierno-rd-otorgara … migracion/

The Director of Migration, Enrique García , announced today that in the coming days the Government will announce a registration plan that seeks to grant legal status to Haitian nationals .

“This one that will be announced soon if it will give you legal status. You have 10 Haitian nationals working on your farm, construction, we are going to give you the opportunity to fulfill a series of requirements that you already register it with Migration, "said García.

“It's a plan of record. The only difference is that you will have a contract, previously you did not have one (…) If you have your 10 nationals in your construction because you are an engineer, you will have to make 10 contracts to them. You will have to register it with the TSS,” he said.......

“We are going to start with those who have a passport, those who have a Haitian identity card and those who have a Haitian birth certificate. We are going to opt for those three documents, accept them all three. Somehow we have to start organizing this mess”, said the Director of Migration .......

Sounds like a plan.

But as in many things here, will it be enforced?

This will be fantastic, if it works and doesn't result in unfair expulsions. These folks come here, work hard, and often get taken advantage of, since they don't have legal status and can't file a complaint w/o consequences for themselves and their families. Expect the cost of labor to go up, though...I'm hopeful, but have low expectations.

Freedmeister wrote:

This will be fantastic, if it works and doesn't result in unfair expulsions. These folks come here, work hard, and often get taken advantage of, since they don't have legal status and can't file a complaint w/o consequences for themselves and their families. Expect the cost of labor to go up, though...I'm hopeful, but have low expectations.

Our labor law code do not care if you are legal or ilegal, you can fill a complain and sue the employer, can do it no matter your status,

This  means they will be registered with the gov't and the employer will have to pay into the benefits. AND it means they will have to be paid the corresponding minimum wage.  (Of course they will find ways around this)

Riva you are absolutely right, if your feet are on the ground you have your legal rights.  Seriously though how many Haitians are threatened with deportation if they go to the labor courts? How many are afraid to even think about that?  That is how so many have been abused and underpaid for years.

To add, DGM is now issuing ID cards to Haitians who live near the border and cross daily:

DGM WILL BEGIN DELIVERY FRONTIER DWELLER ID

https://migracion.gob.do/en/dgm-will-be … tant-card/

Yet another example of this DGM after 16 years of inaction applying in 17 months what is written in the Law......

They train office personnel for the registration of foreigners

The identification has not yet started because the equipment is being acquire

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … al/1588871

Work began with the training of the personnel that will be in the 40 offices for the registration of foreigners that are in the Dominican Republic, reported Tuesday Juan Manuel Rosario, Deputy Minister of Migration Management and Naturalization of the Ministry of the Interior and Police .

Rosario explained that the offices are expected to have a staff of 10 people in each of them, that is, 400 employees. The deputy minister added that a part of the workers is already integrating the Ministry of Interior and Police and the rest will have to be hired.

On November 3, the Government, through the National Migration Council , announced the creation of the offices at a time of alert given the situation of insecurity and criminality in neighboring Haiti. The offices are part of the set of measures announced in search of curbing immigration from Haiti.

Five days later, in the border provinces of Dajabón and Elías Piña, Jesús "Chu" Vásquez, Minister of the Interior and Police, inaugurated two of the first offices, and reiterated that this is not a migration regularization plan, but only to identify foreigners , undocumented or not.

Although these offices were opened, the registration of foreigners in the Dominican Republic has not started. Rosario argued that the delay is due to the purchasing processes. "It is a long process because it is demanding due to the requirements," he said.

"Purchases cannot be made outside the procedure of the law," he added. Last December, Minister Vásquez also conditioned the beginning of the registration of foreigners to the procedures, which are carried out in the emergency mode.

Identification will include fingerprints and photographs for facial recognition. Registration is voluntary, although the authorities may visit places frequented by foreigners . Registering does not guarantee that undocumented aliens will not be deported . If a foreigner changes his address, he must notify the registry offices.

The emergency process includes the acquisition of fuel, furniture, electrical appliances, expendable material, technological equipment, vehicles and renovation materials for the installation of the 40 offices.

The equipment is software and hardware for biometric fingerprint capture, iris reading, facial recognition and fingerprints, conventional and double-sided printing computers, printers for identification, scanners and digital cameras.

Regarding vehicles, it is planned to buy 31 vans, five minibuses with capacity for 40 people, and four 12-passenger minibuses. The purchase of the vehicles was authorized by José Paliza, Administrative Minister of the Presidency, as provided by decree 396-21.

The Haitian immigration situation appears to be gradually getting organized in terms of getting those that are wanted here for work and trade having processes of legalization of their activities in planning and execution.

The Migration law 285-04 refers to two types of potential legal Haitian immigrant in the 'no resident' status:

5. Trabajadores temporeros, entendiendo por tales a todos aquellos extranjeros que ingresan al territorio nacional para prestar sus servicios laborales por un tiempo determinado, y bajo contrato, de forma individual o formando parte de contingentes, por personas físicas o morales que explotan en el país unidades económicas de producción, distribución de bienes y servicios,y de acuerdo a las asignaciones de cuotas y planes de política migratorias que elabore el Consejo Nacional de Migración. Para los fines de la presente ley, los Contratos Estacionales de la industria azucarera se reputaran contratos de trabajo por tiempo determinado. (Temporay workers with an employment contract and work permit)

6. Habitantes fronterizos de las comunidades fronterizas que desarrollan actividades no laborales, dedicados a faenas de pequeño comercio, entendiendo por tales, a los extranjeros que residen en áreas fronterizas limítrofes al territorio nacional y que ingresan al país dentro de un perímetro de la frontera, debidamente autorizados a realizar actividades lícitas y productivas, regresando diariamente a su lugar de residencia. (People living in the border provinces in Haiti who trae with DR and get a permit to do so daily returning home each day.)

Temporary workers already have a defined process as wrotten on the DGM website in the permits https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicio/pe … y-workers/
the only problem is that the application regulations of 2011 defined they must have a passport and most Haitians don't so the current government plans to take their data and go ahead and issue yearly work permits.

Once both these processes are underway - without flaws as ahve bee highlighted with some of the frontier permist issued to date - the Haitians needed fo the Domincan economy in construction and agriculture can ge legalized and get fair wages and taxes flow to the economy as a result.

This all relates back to the thread topic. In this manner above all Haitians can get registered and those without permits can get documented for future reference and deported. Other foreigners apparently will still be required to register as the laws require, so await more news on that.

When the street hawkers disappear at traffic lights in SD we will know the situation is improving. They seem immune to round up and my wild guess is that they work for someone with influence.

Again it appears the Immigration Law is continually being applied bit by bit since this government came to power 17 months ago. Be aware.

So Haitians not working in border provinces can't get temporary work permits and don't have to leave the DR each day?

DGM announced yesterday they are suspending the pilot plan to issue permits to persons living on the Haiti side of the border who trade daily with DR supposedly due to the current instability in that country and perhaps more so due to kick back from Dominican nationalists on the 200 year anniversary of the Haiti invasion.

If they are waiting for "stability" the plan will never be used.

Good point,  maybe its all about "degree of stability"   

There is a 'teething' problem implementing this permit and it was convenient to use the instability in Haiti to suspend the plan of implemetation to get the arrangements sorted and appease the nationalists for now. IMO, it is a good concept created in the 2004 law. It deals with those that cross over daily for markets and to buy other Dominican goods to trade. Currently those crossing and attending the border markets must be entering without any documents. 

Suspended, for now, delivery card for "border residents"

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … ronterizos

The pilot plan with which the delivery of "border inhabitant cards" by the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) to small Haitian merchants who participate in the binational markets on the border would be implemented, has been suspended due to the socioeconomic situation in Haiti.

During a visit to the director of Listín Diario, Miguel Fanjul, the general director of Immigration, Enrique García, explained that these cards were supposed to be issued last month and not on National Independence Day, as had been reported.

“That card will not be in force for the moment due to the situation of instability experienced in the neighboring nation, in addition to some technical situations that we still have to study; The delivery was supposed to take place on January 27 and 28, but we decided to suspend it until conditions in the neighboring nation improve,” Garcia explained when expressing the reasons for the suspension.

The official added that there is no date for when the pilot plan for the delivery of that card would begin, but he did emphasize that, in his opinion, it is a "first attempt" to control that border area with the binational markets. "I do believe that this is the first step to control the border, that is a simple card that does not give the Haitian citizen any rights... they cannot sleep here, nor can they leave the demarcation that touches them," said García, after add that it does not give them the right to work outside their place in the market where they work.
 
[i]The pilot plan

The border cards are established in resolution number 09-2021, which in turn was created according to the General Migration Law. Its objective is to establish the design and implementation of the "Pilot Plan for the Execution of the Migratory Subcategory of the Border Inhabitant", for foreigners of Haitian nationality, in order to collaborate with the good development of the socio-commercial activities carried out in that area. country area.

Temporarystatus “The temporary status under the subcategory of border inhabitant is a figure that is born in the General Law of Migration 285-04 with the purpose of giving a temporary status directed to the resident population in the area of ​​Haiti, bordering the Dominican territory, and seeks to generate the information registry of this migrant population and grant a temporary regularization benefit to those who meet the requirements”, indicates resolution 09-2021.           

It establishes that the border inhabitant status will be valid for one year; Likewise, the Migration Directorate may cancel the card when the border inhabitant violates the perimeters of circulation or the conditions of permanence, the violation of the Dominican legal system and for incurring in violations of the migratory regulations after the granting of the temporary status granted.[/i]

"If the card says that a person has a card to be in Dajabón and is found in Pedernales, their card will be canceled and they will be deported immediately, but I repeat, all of that is stopped for now," said García, who was accompanied by the person in charge of communications. of that entity, Carlos Batista. 

planner wrote:

Good point,  maybe its all about "degree of stability"   

When workers are needed to put the new resorts in Pedarnales/Cabo Rojo, Haiti will magically become stable enough. It is all about AI tourism here in the DR.

It sure is. Meanwhile we have ridiculously high unemployment of certain age groups.  But you know
many of  them won't lower their standards to do that kind of work!

The border permits are nothing to do with tourism nor construction workers. It is to manage this:

- Haitians who cross the border to sell their goods and buy Dominican goods at the border towns and markets and enter with little checking as seen in the photograph. Surely this has to be controlled and a localised day permit makes absolute sense?

https://almomento.net/migracion-dara-carnet-a-haitianos-trabajan-provincias-de-la-frontera/

Issuing of annual work permits to needed Haitian workers in agriculture and construction who may not have ID documentation is an altogether different subject and we are told that this will be explained in more detail soon.

Ok.

Just watched the riots in Haiti on the news.  Haitians are fed up with earning equivalent of US $5 a day!

Interesting, so the new border crossing cards were "rejected" by various entities in the DR.  What was the reason for those objections? I would have thought the day trading (of goods)  was beneficial to both sides?

Frankly we are a time where opposition politicians here reject every proposal even if it has merit. And those rejecting had 16 years to address the issue but didnt. Perhaps they have a vested interest in keeping the status quo of Haitian illegal entry, employment and low pay for the illegals? And the timing was bad with Duarte day and the Haitian invasion anniversaries.

It does need to be tested by a pilot plan. I suspect it will happen.