Because of a court ruling in the Dominican Republic against undocumented immigrants, nearly a quarter of a million people are finding themselves stateless. Many of them are Haitians since Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island. Protests have spread as far as New York.
Many in Haiti fled the country in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, in some cases leaving family members behind. Those family members were supposed to follow them to the United States in short order — but bureaucracy and paperwork have intervened.
Thousands of Haitians left their country in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. While many fled to the United States, others made the arduous journey south to Brazil. But after letting in more than 4,000 Haitian migrants, Brazil has toughened its immigration policy. Meanwhile, hundreds more wait at its border for the chance to get in.