Darker-skinned Americans could also be profiled, detained within the Dominican Republic, warns US

US officers within the Dominican Republic have warned that ‘darker-skinned’ Americans could also be profiled and detained within the nation’s crackdown on Haitian migrants.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 23, 2022 12:47 IST

Haitians wait to cross the border between Dominican Republic and Haiti in Dajabon, Dominican Republic (Photo: AP/File)

By India Today Web Desk: At a time when Dominican Republic authorities have deported 43,900 migrants, largely Haitians, US officers are warning ‘dark-skinned’ Americans that they might be racially profiled or detained, the Guardian reported. The authorities are reportedly utilizing an individual’s look as a class for the detention of those that are suspected of being within the nation illegally.

In view of safety causes, the Dominican authorities have heightened border enforcement and deportations of Haitians. However, the Dominican authorities have rejected criticism of its crackdown on Haitian migrants from a rising variety of international locations and human rights companies.

“These actions may lead to increased interaction with Dominican authorities, especially for darker-skinned US citizens and US citizens of African descent,” the embassy mentioned.

The assertion additional learn, “There are reports that detainees are kept in overcrowded detention centers, without the ability to challenge their detention, and without access to food or restroom facilities, sometimes for days at a time, before being released or deported to Haiti.”

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On Saturday, the US Embassy in Santo Domingo despatched out a warning, saying Dominican migration authorities ‘have carried out widespread operations’ to detain largely Haitian migrants who they imagine are within the nation illegally, AP reported. US President Joe Biden’s administration has defended its personal apply of deporting and expelling Haitian migrants arriving at its southern border.

Earlier this month, Luis Rodolfo Abinader, the president of the Dominican Republic, had issued a decree calling for deportations and the formation of a police unit to probe foreigners illegally occupying land within the nation. Since then, numerous movies have emerged on social media exhibiting fellow Haitians being overwhelmed by Dominican police.

Defending its place on the deportations and lashing again on the criticism, the Dominican Republic acknowledged that there’s ‘no proof of any systemic human rights violations.

(With company inputs)

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Published On:

Nov 23, 2022