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Published: 13:00, November 03, 2021 | Updated: 13:09, November 03, 2021
Dominican Republic cracks down on migration amid chaos in Haiti
By Bloomberg
Published:13:00, November 03, 2021 Updated:13:09, November 03, 2021 By Bloomberg

People line up with empty jerry cans at a gas station of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Nov 1, 2021. Those who can afford it rely on pricey generators, which are no help in the face of the severe fuel shortage caused by gangs, who have been blocking access to the country's oil terminals in the capital and its outskirts, with the government under pressure to ensure security for companies to reach the crucial storage facilities. (RICHARD PIERRIN / AFP)

The Dominican Republic is suspending student visas for Haitians and may review the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of foreigners as it continues to tighten its borders amid growing chaos in neighboring Haiti

The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet late Monday that the government will “indefinitely pause” the student-visa program. In addition, the Interior Ministry is proposing to “audit” the immigration status of some 220,000 foreigners -- the vast majority of them Haitians -- who were allowed to stay in the country under a 2013 program. 

The Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet late Monday that the government will “indefinitely pause” the student-visa program for Haitians

The measures may further limit the ability of Haitians to leave their country legally.

ALSO READ: Haiti hit by fuel shortages as gang leader demands PM resign

The audit proposal will be presented to President Luis Abinader on Wednesday. Abinader, who took office in 2020, has been urging foreign governments to do more to combat criminal violence and chaos in Haiti.

“The international community, in particular, the US, Canada, France and the European Union must act on Haiti with urgency,” Abinader wrote on Twitter Monday. 

Shortly after Abinader’s tweet, Haiti’s Foreign Minister Claude Joseph shared a US State Department travel warning for the Dominican Republic and said the two nations -- which share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola -- need to “work together to eradicate the problem of insecurity.”

READ MORE: PM Henry says quake left Haiti 'on its knees'

Haiti’s gang violence has been in the spotlight since 17 US and Canadian missionaries were kidnapped for ransom on Oct 16. 


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