30310: Roebling (reply) (On Haitians living in the DR (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Elizabeth Roebling (lizieames@yahoo.com) to M. Pierre:

  Many people in the US assume that all nations have - or should have-the same 
policy as the US- that anyone born on the soil of a nation are entitled to 
citizenship. This is not so, (See 
http://canada.metropolis.net/events/metropolis_presents/EspeakersU_/weil2_e.htm 
for some background on the laws of different nations.Sorry I have yet to master 
the cutting and pasting of links that actually work .-

  It is not, in fact, international "law" that a nation must guarantee 
citizenship to every child born on its soil.Haiti does not grant citizenship to 
any child born on its soil but rather to the children of any Haitian born to a 
Haitian born parent anywhere in the 
world.http://www.haiti.org/constitu/constabl.htm

  The issue that we are facing here is that many of the children of Haitians 
who were born here are not, in fact, eligible for Haitian citizenship as their 
parents were also born here. They are,in fact, stateless persons. The Dominican 
constitution provides that children of workers "in transit" are not eligible 
for citizenship. http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/DomRep/domrep02.html 
And the Haitians are considered "in transit". If their parents have gone 
through the proper procedures to obtain Domincan citizenship, they are children 
of Domincans. Imagine if the economy of Haiti were miraculously to boom, with 
plenty of work and personal security. There would be a flood across the border 
going in the other direction. Yet many Haitians who are here do have legal 
residency, a process that may lead to citizenship in time. It is a matter of 
filing the proper papers, following the proper steps, just as it is for 
immigrants to the United States. This is, of course, an almost
 impossible project for those who are illiterate.

  The Dominican Republic is trying to maintain its national identity and its 
borders. It is also trying to recover from the antiHaitian racist propoganda 
that was spread durning the Trujillo-Balaguer era. Remember please that we have 
had some great global shifts in overcoming racism in the last 50 years (the 
death camps, apartheid, segregation along with Bosnia and Rwanda)

  It is true that the availability of Haitian workers probably brings down the 
wages of all Dominicans, who themselves are very poorly paid. So perhaps it 
would be better for the Domincans if all the Haitians were to be deported. 
Would that further the cause? Perhaps those millions of illegal immigrants are 
holding down the wages of all the legal US citizens?

  It is a measure of how successful Ms. Pierre has been that she is attracting 
such a visceral response. Many people of good will are working to make life 
here in the DR a bit better for the 600,000+ Haitians who are here. I am not 
certain that you are helping the situation, well meaning though you may be. 
Dialogue is not assisted by demonizing. The DR is perhaps reacting quite 
understandably to the force of the international pressure which seems intent on 
pressuring this nation without offering much in the way of assistance The 
United States would not, for instance, open its doors to all the Haitians 
living here.. Notice please, how quickly the Haitians who arrive in Florida are 
sent to deportation proceedings.

  Unlike the Haitians who are well educated and have sufficient means to obtain 
visas to emigrate to the US, France, Canada, the Bahamas, etc., most of the 
Haitians who are here are neither highly skilled or litterate. They are, 
however, extremely willing to work for whatever small amounts they can make. 
Most live here in peace,and prefer to stay rather than return to Haiti, It 
would be useful if we could work together to come up with some positive steps 
to help reconcile these two nations, obtain some rights for the education of 
Haitian children who live here and a means for them to legally obtain 
citizenship. We need the help of the Haitian and Dominican respective 
disasporas living in the United States, I invite anyone who is working for 
reconciliation to contact me.

  For those of you who are on the picket lines, why not find a Domincan to hug? 
Brotherhood is after all one of the great ideals of the revolution, n'est ce 
pas?

  Elizabeth


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