In 72 hours, members of the 10th Battalion of the Dominican Army have apprehended on Dominican territory during several control operations, 108 undocumented Haitians, including 16 minors and 15 pregnant women, said military sources.

It is in the community of Palo Blanco de Dajabón, adjacent to Haiti, that the largest number of pregnant women and minors accompanied by their parents were arrested. Pregnant women said their intentions were to give birth in hospitals in the Dominican Republic, because in Haiti in addition to the limitations of access to health care, they have to pay for maternity services. They said that in Haiti one known that in Dominican maternities and public hospitals, there is good care for women about to give birth and that they have nothing to pay.

The military authorities said that since the minor children and adolescents were accompanied by their parents or other relatives, they will be returned together to Haiti. Recall that when a Haitian child minor is arrested without any family members to accompany him, the Dominican authorities are hosting them at the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONANI) which is responsible for finding a member of their family in order to give them the child... https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-18137-icihaiti-social-arrest-of-24-women-37-children-and-13-men-in-the-dr.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12738-haiti-social-haitian-women-abandon-their-children-in-dominican-hospitals.html

On the other hand, members of the army accompanied by a representative of the public prosecutor's office and immigration agents, following a judicial intervention order, arrested in a private property located in the North sector, near the Hospital Matías Ramón Mella in Dajabón, 38 undocumented Haitians who hid in two huts.

Among the Haitians apprehended during operations, many said they came from Fort Liberté, Trou Du Nord, Limonade, Cap-Haïtien, Gonaïves, Millot and Port-au-Prince among others. They indicated that they intended to travel to Santiago, Valverde and Puerto Plata and paid between 4,000 and 5,000 pesos to smugglers to drive them to their destination. They also admitted to paying other smugglers in Haiti the equivalent of 5,000 to 7,000 pesos to transport them and illegally cross the border.

All these Haitians have been entrusted to the service of migration, which will be responsible after identification to return them to Haiti.

SL/ HaitiLibre