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Thousands of Dominican-born people of Haitian descent rendered stateless, risk deportation
Tens of thousands of Dominican-born people of Haitian descent are stateless and at risk of being deported if they fail to meet a Sunday deadline to register for residency in the Dominican Republic.
For decades the Dominican Republic recognized the children of Haitian migrants born in the country as Dominican citizens irrespective of the migration status of their parents.
But a 2013 court ruling, along with previous changes to nationality laws, have denied children of Haitian migrants their birth certificates, identity documents, and stripped them of their nationality, Amnesty international and the United Nations say.
This means up to 200,000 people are in legal limbo and stateless – not recognized as a citizen by any country – and denied the basic rights most people take for granted.
In recent weeks, long queues of stateless people, the vast majority of Haitian descent, have formed at immigration offices in the capital Santo Domingo waiting to apply for residency permits before the February 1 deadline.
The Dominican government has said changes to the nationality laws aim to tackle illegal migration from neighboring Haiti.
Since the late 1890s, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have crossed into the more prosperous Dominican Republic to escape political violence or seek a better life.
Many ended up working on low pay as sugar cane cutters, settling in impoverished, isolated communities known as bateyes.
