What’s next for a crackdown on Haitian migrants as the Dominican Republic leader enters a new term?
SANTO DOMINGO (AP) — After Dominican President Luis Abinader coasted into a second term over the weekend, he promised in a nationalistic speech that “the best is yet to come.”
2024-05-21 17:45:32 - VI News Staff
But as one of the region’s most popular leaders spoke of economic prosperity and constitutional reforms, he notably left one thing out: the crisis in neighboring Haiti. The Dominican Republic has long taken a hard-line stance with Haitian migrants, but harsh crackdowns have increased in recent years as Haiti’s spiraling gang violence drives people to flee. Analysts like Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, say Abinader has used the crisis as a political tool to “play on people’s fears.” “Most Dominicans overwhelmingly believe that Abinader has done a good job. … They’re not prepared to take a risk on somebody else,” Shifter said. “His very hard-line, nationalistic posture on Haiti, while it’s not the only reason he won, it has lifted and cemented his political support.”