Dominican Gov Rounds up Pregnant Haitian Women and Deports Them
The Dominican Republic has targeted pregnant Haitian women in its latest inhumane deportation campaign.
Dominican police entered medical clinics of the sprawling barrio Los Minas on November 11, searching for pregnant Haitian women and those who had recently given birth, who were receiving medical attention. They rounded up several women, forced them into buses and deported them to Haiti.
Popular organizations across the Dominican Republic and Haiti are denouncing the latest round of harassment and deportations carried out by the government of Luis Abinader and the Modern Revolutionary Party against the exiled Haitian community in DR. Police penetration of hospitals in search of immigrants is in gross violation of every human rights protocol.
Unfortunately, the latest assault on Haitian dignity is nothing new. The Dominican state has demonstrated a vested interest in scapegoating the vulnerable Haitian community and playing the blame game. This divide and conquer strategy deflects popular ire away from the true enemy of the Dominican people; its own ruling class which pillages the country’s resources in tandem with foreign corporations. The targeting of Haitians in DR is no different than right-wing xenophobic attacks on Mexicans, immigrants and Muslims in the U.S.
Many factors have pushed hundreds of thousands of Haitians to flee to the Dominican Republic. Among them is a fuel crisis, a recent spate of kidnappings, a capital awash with arms, and repression of a mass anti-imperialist movement. Rather than expressing solidarity with these struggles, the Dominican military high command sent 11,000 more troops to the border to buttress the wall of hatred which is being built to further divide the two nations.
Despite all of these challenges, the revolutionary Haitian masses continue to organize and push forward in search of a second Haitian Revolution. Two centuries after the 1804 revolution inspired the enslaved and oppressed of the world, Haitians again yell: “Koupe tèt Boule kay (Off with the masters’ heads, Burn their mansions), in search of equality and justice in their homeland.
By Danny Shaw
