Home »

US Congressman Kendrick Meek & lawmakers monitor Haitian treatment in Dominican Republic

A Florida congressman and five other U.S. lawmakers visited two Dominican villages and a sugar refinery Saturday to observe the treatment of Haitian migrants who seek better-paying jobs here but often face discrimination.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola, and while Haiti has been plagued by poverty, violence and political instability, the Dominican Republic emerged from early struggles to be seen as a comparative land of opportunity by Haitians.

The Democratic congressional lawmakers - Reps. Eliot Engel, of New York; Donald Payne, of New Jersey; Kendrick Meek, of Florida; and Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey, all of California - wore hard hats and safety goggles while they watched Haitian workers loading sugar cane at the refinery about40 miles east of the capital.

"I think it's the United States' responsibility to monitor the condition of workers in an economy such as this one that we're supporting through our trade efforts," said Meek, whose district is home to many Haitians. "Many of my constituents tell me about concerns about the conditions of their families" in the Dominican Republic.

The trip - focusing on trade issues, port security and human rights - was meant to set the tone for Engel's chairmanship of the U.S. House International Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, expected to begin in January when the Democrats take control of the U.S. Congress.

They were also expected to discuss with Dominican leaders a U.S.-sponsored regional free trade agreement and visit a port before leaving for Haiti on Sunday. The final requirements to bring the Central American Free Trade Agreement into effect here should be met by the end of the year, officials have said.

Haitians, many of whom cross the border illegally to work on sugar plantations and in construction in the Dominican Republic, are often victims of discrimination and sometimes violence and death.

Dominicans, who measure their national independence from the 1844 end of a Haitian occupation, say the illegal migrants violate their sovereignty. Word that the delegation would be visiting Haitian workers' villages drew fire from many Dominicans, for whom the status of 500,000 to 1 million ethnic Haitians is a matter of fierce debate.

Children born to Haitian workers are often denied citizenship, although Dominican law mandates that any child born on Dominican soil receive it. U.S. Ambassador Hans Hertell recently rebuked the Dominican government for not giving birth certificates to the children of foreigners.

The visit comes shortly after a Dominican-Haitian activist received an award on Capitol Hill, re-igniting debate over the issue.

The congressional delegation visited two villages located 15 miles north of the refinery where many Haitian migrant workers and a few Dominicans live in tin or concrete shacks without running water or electricity, and the streets have holes filled with trash.