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The international community has seen the construction of the border wall as a shift towards the conservatism of the Dominican government on the immigration issue.
"They should act responsibly; if they are so concerned about human rights, then they have to deal with all the problems that the poor Haitian citizens are suffering in Haiti." This is how Luis Abinader addressed those who consider the migration crisis in Haiti a shared responsibility between Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo.
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The president of the Dominican Republic has been running a communication campaign for a couple of years in which he makes it clear to the world that Haiti's problems are not the responsibility of the Dominican Republic but rather an international issue.
Since the beginning of the construction of the border to control illegal migration, he has called upon the international community to get involved in the harsh reality that neighboring Haiti is experiencing.
Last Friday, July 7, during the inauguration of a border bridge, the president insisted that "the Dominican Republic cannot be blamed for the responsibility of those who have not acted," as quoted by an EFE correspondent.
In March 2022, Luis Abinader urged the entire summit to rid his Caribbean neighbor of Violence and Insecurity. During this Twentieth Ibero-American Summit, the identified priority was to pacify Haiti. The country was experiencing one of its worst crises of violence, with hundreds of gangs taking over the streets. The gangs even took control of 60% of Haiti. The government has around 9,000 policemen for a population of more than 11 million inhabitants.
At that summit, several presidents expressed their solidarity with the Dominican position: "The world is once again turning its back on Haiti. It does not seem fair to me as a Costa Rican to tell the Dominican Republic to send its armed forces," the Costa Rican president said in that context. On the other hand, the international community has seen the construction of the border wall as a shift towards the conservatism of the Dominican government on the immigration issue. The pressures and requests for flexibility have not stopped, so that the migration control plan does not lose respect for human rights and international law.
In a series of interviews with national media, a Haitian woman who lived on the Dominican side and depended on the business that was carried out in the area said about her life experience: "Haitians and Dominicans do business here; why build a wall? I do not have a president there, and things are difficult. This exhaustive journalistic report made visible the strong economic impact that the wall will have on the most vulnerable people who live along the planned 54 kilometers of construction.
Meanwhile, the Dominican government insists on the right of its country to focus on its own destiny, ensure its scarce resources for development, and solve its own socioeconomic and social problems in the context of a scenario of high inflation.
The government timed the inauguration of a border post to coincide with the visit of the UN undersecretary to Haiti. President Abinader participated in the event. He also made another call to the world to make Haiti's crisis everyone's problem. He even called international organizations hypocrites for their concern for the fate of Haitians.
The issue and questions that remain for all are: will the real and factual actions on the issue of Haiti be achieved one day? Who will do so? Let's hope that the possible restoration of order in the country ends up being the motivating factor needed, as the collaborators say, and awakens the much-needed and promised humanitarian aid.
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