‘We have different cultures, but we share the same island’: Dominican Republic priest says his country should do more to help Haiti
The Dominican Republic has decided to impose tighter border restrictions to keep people from Haiti out of the country. The World’s host, Carolyn Beeler, speaks with Osvaldo Concepción, a Jesuit priest who works closely with Haitians who have crossed into the Dominican Republic, about the situation.
Haiti has long looked to its wealthier next-door neighbor, the Dominican Republic, as an economic lifeline. The two countries share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
Haiti has been spiraling further into chaos since the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021. That’s been driving Haitians to flee the country.
This week, the Dominican Republic decided to impose tighter border restrictions to keep people from Haiti out. But Osvaldo Concepción sees things differently. He is a Jesuit priest who works closely with Haitians who have crossed into the Dominican Republic.
The World’s host, Carolyn Beeler, spoke with him from the Dominican border town of Dajabon.
Carolyn Beeler: Rev. Osvaldo, you are right on the Haitian border with the Dominican Republic. What has been happening there since the current wave of unrest started?
Osvaldo Concepción: The Dominican Republic army, I think, is taking control of the civil life here because now we can see soldiers everywhere. It’s affecting the dynamics of the city.
I understand that new border restrictions mean Haitians are limited to crossing the border just two days a week for the market there. Are people stocking up on goods to bring back to Haiti?
Yeah, the people are trying to store food. They are afraid of a civil war. And we can see in the market more people than the past.
People line up at the border bridge in Quanaminthe, Haiti, on their way to the binational market in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, March 18, 2024.Ricardo Hernandez/AP
There is already a large Haitian population in the Dominican Republic. Has anything changed for those folks?
Yeah, for them, the situation is very bad. The deportations in the Dominican Republic are not being carried out from a model that ensures the respect of human rights. The immigration agents and the soldiers are working during the night. The people are sleeping, they enter into the house, the Haitians are in bed, and they take them [away]. There have been robberies and sexual aggression. The Haitians in the Dominican Republic, especially here in the north, are sleeping in the forests because they are afraid of this model of deportation.
Wow. They must be, as you said, very afraid of getting deported to be living in the forests.
Four days ago, a young man tried to escape from the army — they used physical violence. And now he’s in the hospital. We are trying to support him with medical care. But we have many cases like this. Yeah, it’s very, very sad, very difficult, this model of deportation that we have in the Dominican Republic at this moment.
Is this model of deportation different than it was a few months ago? Is this a new approach?
Yeah, this is new. The behavior is new. Now, the authorities in the Dominican Republic at closing [down options]. Dialog is not possible.
People who were detained for deportation to Haiti stand inside a police truck on the border bridge that connects Dajabon, Dominican Republic with Haiti, March 18, 2024.Ricardo Hernandez/AP
What is the general opinion in the Dominican Republic about Haitians trying to come there?
They prefer that they don’t come here to the Dominican Republic. I think our society at this moment is not open to helping Haiti. In our history, Haiti represents the enemy. And many Dominicans cannot see the human situation at this moment. And they are closed [minded] in this way to see the relationship between both countries.
The Dominican Republic has been constructing a lengthy border wall separating the two countries. What has that meant for Haitians trying to flee violence?
It doesn’t work because the border is so long, and we only built 50 kilometers (31 miles) of wall. Our topography on this island is very complicated.
Where do you see hope for restoring relations between Haitians and Dominicans?
We are two countries on the same island (Hispaniola). We don’t have another way [toward] collaboration. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the Haitians or the Haitians don’t like the Dominicans. We don’t have another [option]. The only way that we have is to understand that we are brothers. We have different cultures, but we have the same island, and we are humans. We have to try to see things from another point of view to build another history for our countries.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.AP contributed to this report.
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