The Dominican Republic says it has arrested greater than 130 Haitian girls and youngsters on the primary day of a crackdown of undocumented migrants in Santo Domingo’s hospitals.
Most of the girls arrested on Monday had been pregnant and others had not too long ago given beginning.
The crackdown is a part of the federal government’s plan introduced final yr to deport as much as 10,000 undocumented migrants every week to stem migration from neighbouring Haiti.
President Luis Abinader’s authorities, nonetheless, has been criticised for its harsh therapy of Haitian migrants as many are fleeing excessive gang violence and poverty within the capital Port-au-Prince.
The immigration division stated the ladies had been “supplied dignified therapy” after being taken to a detention centre the place their biometric information and fingerprints had been recorded.
A Haitian lady who had accompanied her pregnant pal to the hospital stated the federal government’s actions will trigger uncertainty for pregnant girls in want of care.
“If a lady gave beginning as we speak, they can not take her as we speak, as a result of they do not know what’s going to occur. And if she has a C-section, they do not know what will occur both, as a result of there’s by no means a health care provider together with her to help if one thing occurs on the street, with the child or together with her,” she stated.
Authorities stated the ladies will obtain medical therapy and any undocumented moms will probably be repatriated.
Many Haitians have been crossing the shared border with the Dominican Republic to flee escalating violence and starvation, generally in a number of truckloads per day.
To clamp down these numbers, the Dominican Republic has deported greater than 80,000 individuals to Haiti within the first three months of this yr, in accordance with AFP information company.
President Abinader’s authorities has beforehand voiced its frustration on the worldwide group’s failure to revive stability to Haiti.
