Latest news with #LuisAbinader
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Haitian deportations from Dominican Republic rise 70%
May 30 (UPI) -- More than 200,000 undocumented migrants have left the Dominican Republic this year, including at least 145,000 Haitians deported by immigration authorities. The figure marks a 70% increase from the same period last year and is part of a plan by President Luis Abinader and the National Security and Defense Council to reduce the number of undocumented migrants in the country. The Dominican Republic's General Directorate of Migration has stepped up immigration operations and deportations of Haitians since October 2024, when a new immigration law took effect. International organizations have raised concerns about the impact deportations have had on the Haitian community in the Dominican Republic. Many people now live in fear of being detained and expelled, which has limited their access to basic services such as healthcare and education. The Caribbean nation has barred entry to pregnant Haitian women in their third trimester, saying its healthcare system cannot cover the cost of childbirth for undocumented foreigners. The United Nations condemned the deportation of 900 pregnant or breastfeeding Haitian women from the Dominican Republic in recent months. U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the International Organization for Migration provided assistance at the border to an average of 30 such women each month during their deportation, calling the practice a violation of international standards. Dujarric added that nearly 20,000 Haitians were repatriated from the Dominican Republic between April and May 2025, the highest number on record for that time period. The Dominican Republic has tightened its immigration policy by partially closing its border with Haiti and building a 160-kilometer border wall equipped with sensors, cameras and watchtowers. The government said the measures aim to curb irregular migration, smuggling and insecurity. The DGM defended the immigration operations, saying they comply with human rights standards. "Our actions are carried out with strict respect for the fundamental rights of those involved, ensuring dignified treatment, proper safety and hygiene conditions, and due process in accordance with national and international human rights standards," the agency said in a press release. Haiti is facing one of the worst crises in its recent history, marked by widespread violence from armed gangs that control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince. These groups have carried out attacks on public institutions, mass killings, and prison breaks, displacing more than 1 million people and leaving the transitional government, led by the Presidential Transitional Council under Fritz Alphonse Jean, in collapse. The insecurity has overwhelmed Haiti's health system, forcing hospital closures, driving medical professionals to flee the country, and triggering outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. The crisis is compounded by severe food insecurity, with more than 5 million people struggling to access adequate food and thousands living in famine conditions.
UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Haitian deportations from Dominican Republic rise 70%
At least 145,000 Haitian migrants, like those seen here at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, were among more than 200,000 undocumented migrants who have left the Dominican Republic so far in 2025. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo May 30 (UPI) -- More than 200,000 undocumented migrants have left the Dominican Republic this year, including at least 145,000 Haitians deported by immigration authorities. The figure marks a 70% increase from the same period last year and is part of a plan by President Luis Abinader and the National Security and Defense Council to reduce the number of undocumented migrants in the country. The Dominican Republic's General Directorate of Migration has stepped up immigration operations and deportations of Haitians since October 2024, when a new immigration law took effect. International organizations have raised concerns about the impact deportations have had on the Haitian community in the Dominican Republic. Many people now live in fear of being detained and expelled, which has limited their access to basic services such as healthcare and education. The Caribbean nation has barred entry to pregnant Haitian women in their third trimester, saying its healthcare system cannot cover the cost of childbirth for undocumented foreigners. The United Nations condemned the deportation of 900 pregnant or breastfeeding Haitian women from the Dominican Republic in recent months. U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the International Organization for Migration provided assistance at the border to an average of 30 such women each month during their deportation, calling the practice a violation of international standards. Dujarric added that nearly 20,000 Haitians were repatriated from the Dominican Republic between April and May 2025, the highest number on record for that time period. The Dominican Republic has tightened its immigration policy by partially closing its border with Haiti and building a 160-kilometer border wall equipped with sensors, cameras and watchtowers. The government said the measures aim to curb irregular migration, smuggling and insecurity. The DGM defended the immigration operations, saying they comply with human rights standards. "Our actions are carried out with strict respect for the fundamental rights of those involved, ensuring dignified treatment, proper safety and hygiene conditions, and due process in accordance with national and international human rights standards," the agency said in a press release. Haiti is facing one of the worst crises in its recent history, marked by widespread violence from armed gangs that control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince. These groups have carried out attacks on public institutions, mass killings, and prison breaks, displacing more than 1 million people and leaving the transitional government, led by the Presidential Transitional Council under Fritz Alphonse Jean, in collapse. The insecurity has overwhelmed Haiti's health system, forcing hospital closures, driving medical professionals to flee the country, and triggering outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. The crisis is compounded by severe food insecurity, with more than 5 million people struggling to access adequate food and thousands living in famine conditions.
Kuwait News Agency
3 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait News Agency
Non-resident Ambassador Al-Adgham delivers credentials to the Dominican President
A+ A- Politics 30/05/2025 LOC10:17 07:17 GMT KUWAIT, May 30 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait Ambassador to Cuba, the non-resident envoy to the Dominican, Adel Al-Adgham, has delivered his credentials as the Extraordinary, Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the Dominican President Luis Abinader. The State of Kuwait Embassy in Cuba said in a statement, copy of which was delivered to KUNA on Friday, that the credentials' delivery ceremonoy was held at the Republican Palace in the capital Santo Domingo -- attended by Foreign Minster Roberto Alvarez. The statement added that Ambassador Al-Adgham conveyed to President Abinader greetings and best wishes from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, addressed to him as well as to friendly people of the Dominican, affirming his keenness on boosting the bilateral relations between the two countries. It indicated that the two sides discussed means of enhancing the bilateral relations in all realms, namely the economic and commercial sectors, and mutual support at the international quarters. (end)
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Haiti slams 'xenophobic' deportation drive by Dominican Republic
Representative Image (AI-generated) Haiti accused the Dominican Republic on Thursday of committing xenophobic acts and violating the rights of Haitian migrants, especially pregnant and nursing women, amid its growing deportation drive. The government of Dominican President Luis Abinader has stepped up deportations in recent months to Haiti, despite the nation's mounting insecurity from gang violence. Nearly 20,000 people were deported across the border in April, the UN said on Tuesday, including a "rising number of pregnant and breastfeeding women." It said UN and partner organizations had over the previous month "assisted an average of 15 pregnant women and 15 breastfeeding mothers per day." In a rare official response, Haiti's ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement noting broad mistreatment and saying its ambassador in the Dominican Republic would begin organizing voluntary repatriation convoys to bring citizens home "in dignified conditions." The ministry called for dialogue and called on civil society groups to enforce the rights of Haitians, wherever they may be. Many Haitians have fled poverty, political instability, and gang violence, which has worsened over the past year, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince. Dominican officials have implemented a crackdown on foreigners since April 21, barring those without papers from staying in the country after receiving medical care. Since taking office in 2020 and his triumphant re-election in 2024, Abinader has toughened migration policies, and has launched the construction of a wall along his country's border with Haiti. Humanitarian organizations have voiced particular concern for the plight of pregnant women, with the UN on Tuesday denouncing the practice saying it's "in violation of international standards."
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Dominican Republic expels hundreds of pregnant women to Haiti: UN
UNITED NATIONS: The Dominican Republic has expelled hundreds of pregnant and breastfeeding women to Haiti over the past month despite its mounting insecurity and 'in violation of international standards,' the United Nations said Tuesday. Boosting deportations to neighboring Haiti -- the region's poorest nation which is ravaged by gang violence -- was a campaign promise of Dominican President Luis Abinader, reelected in May 2024 for a second term. The UN humanitarian team in Haiti 'expresses deep concern over the rising number of pregnant and breastfeeding women being deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, in violation of international standards,' the group said in a statement. It said the UN migration agency (IOM), in partnership with Haitian authorities and others, had 'assisted an average of 15 pregnant women and 15 breastfeeding mothers per day' at two border crossings since April 22. The two countries share the island of Hispaniola, the second-biggest in the Caribbean after Cuba. 'Nearly 20,000 individuals -- including a growing number of highly vulnerable women -- were deported by land in April 2025, marking a record number for a one-month period,' according to the IOM. 'It is imperative that commitments to protecting vulnerable populations are upheld,' said Ulrika Richardson, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti. Haiti has long suffered from political instability and gang violence, but the situation has significantly worsened over the past year, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince. Last month, the UN's special representative to Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, warned the country was approaching a 'point of no return' and was in desperate need of international aid. The UN estimates over a million Haitians have been internally displaced due to the violence.
