Caribbean & Central America - August 2017 (ISSN 1741-4458)

The upcoming departure of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah) after 13 years could have negative repercussions for security not just in Haiti but also in the Dominican Republic (DR), with which Haiti shares Hispaniola Island. At least this is the consensus view of Dominican government officials. Consequently, the DR authorities are now working hard with their Haitian counterparts to reinforce security at the extensive shared land border ahead of the departure of Minustah’s sizeable military contingent to ensure that public order and security is maintained in the border area. While strengthening security at the border may be an objective for both countries, the manner in which this is achieved could serve as the latest source of bilateral tensions.

First deployed to Haiti in 2004 in the wake of the revolt that led to the ouster of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide (1991-1996; 2001-2004), Minustah is scheduled to be wrapped up in October. This followed a vote back in April by the UN Security Council (UNSC) to replace the deployment (which as at 28 June comprised 1,422 troops) with a much smaller new Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (Minusjusth) to be composed of “up to seven Formed Police Units – or 980 FPU personnel – and 295 Individual Police Officers” to support Haiti’s police (PNd’H). The significant reduction in size of the UN security forces in Haiti; the PNd’H’s relative lack of experience; and Haiti’s current lack of a military have generated serious concerns about the Haitian authorities’ capability to maintain public order and enforce the rule of law across the entire country. These concerns are not only felt in Haiti but also in the neighbouring DR, which has long had to contend with the lack of effective law enforcement and control over Haiti’s national territory by its authorities.

DR government officials have been holding meetings with their Haitian counterparts and Minustah officials to discuss the post-Minustah plans for public security in the western half of Hispaniola. This was confirmed by the DR’s defence minister, General Rubén Darío Paulino Sem, who on 30 July revealed that the Dominican armed forces’ specialised border security force (Cesfront) was preparing a new border security plan aimed at reinforcing public security and surveillance along the over 300-kilometre shared land border with Haiti following Minustah’s departure. General Paulino said that Cesfront would come up with a pilot plan that would allow it to respond to any threats that may come from Haiti, including an increase in transnational criminal activity such as the smuggling of illegal drugs, people, and goods. General Paulino did not provide details but said the pilot plan would be presented in coming months.

However, the potential increased military presence in the border area has already led human rights groups in the DR to warn about a potential increase in human rights abuses. Organisations such as the Movimiento Socio Cultural para los Trabajadores Haitianos (Mosctha) warn that an increased military presence could lead to more mass deportations of individuals of Haitian descent living in the DR. Mosctha noted that, following the end of the foreign migrants regularisation programme run by the Dominican government in 2014-2015 as a one-off opportunity for individuals living the DR to regularise their immigration status, there have been increased reports of mass deportations of individuals of Haitian descent even though many of these have adhered to the regularisation programme. Mosctha has said that these reports have increased ever since the 17 July deadline had passed for individuals who adhered to the regularisation programme (see sidebar) to conclude their regularisation process. This has led Mosctha to urge both governments to work together to ensure that all the rights of these individuals are respected.

• Figures

On official counts by the Dominican authorities, a total of 249,950 foreign nationals adhered to the foreign migrant regularisation programme, 244,366 of whom were identified as being Haitian. However, General Paulino has said that to July this year the Dominican authorities have deported 140,171 undocumented Haitian individuals back to Haiti. Meanwhile the DR’s national migration directorate has reported that so far 38,426 foreign nationals with irregular migrant status have been deported from the country as part of the national migrant regularisation programme. But organisations such as Mosctha argue that some individuals of Haitian origins who have been deported in recent weeks were individuals who had adhered to the migrant regularisation programme and had been issued with temporary residency documents.