Protest Haiti at Maestro’s

Haiti Immigration Crisis Comes to the Bronx

Angry Demonstrators Protest Visit by Dominican Republic Foreign Minister

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- A pair of very vocal and infuriated demonstrators protesting the Dominican Republic's new and controversial policy towards migrant workers of Haiti, came to the Bronx to heckle the Dominican Republic's Foreign Minister, who was invited to speak at breakfast hosted by a local group in Morris Park.

Dahoud Andre of Brooklyn and Bronxite Vilcere Romulus stood on the sidewalk outside of Meastro's catering hall on Bronxdale Avenue on August 7, to protest the visit by Andres Navarro Garcia, who spoke at the breakfast hosted by the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization (NYHCO.)

In a brief statement announcing the breakfast, Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Reverend and President of the NYHCO, explained, "It is a great opportunity for us Hispanic ministers, evangelists and missionaries to hear directly from the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic and about the new plan of immigration affecting the Haitian community and other communities that have been established by the administration of President Danilo Medina."

With Haitian flags draped across their shoulders, Andre and Romulus each held up signs, one read, "Boycott Tourism in the Dominican Republic," another demanded, "Full citizenship for Dominicans of Haitian descent," as they chanted slogans about racism to guests as they arrived.

Calling the new policy of the Dominican government, a form of ethnic cleansing, Andre, a host of a local Haitian radio program and a member of the International Campaign to End Apartheid in the Dominican Republic claimed, "It's a very serious issue. It's very sad that you have black politicians in New York who we believe are taking money from the Dominican government to be given this platform to spew lies." 

"From it's inception," Andre continued, "The Dominican Republic has sought to distance itself from it's neighbor in Haiti and blackness."

Andres claims the revolt began when the new legislation was passed, legislation that they claim will affect hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from Haiti and the unrest has escalated after several incidents including the revocation of Citizenship of a Haitian-born Dominican who had been practicing law in the Dominican Republic for 30-years, and the February lynching of a Haitian man in Santiago, the Dominican Republic's second largest city.

Pointing out similarities with the current atmosphere in the United States, Andre explained, "It's the same reality that Dominicans are taking rickety boats to Puerto Rico to eventually get to the U.S., you would have a policy where the children of undocumented immigrants would be thrown out, the Dominican community here would rise up against this."

Asked what he would say to the NYHCO, Ardre added, "As Hispanics they understand the reality of undocumented migrants, like Hispanic migrants in this country and the same way that they would like to see undocumented migrants from the Dominican Republic treated in the United States, is the same way we would like them to treat Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic."

Senator Ruben Diaz declined to make a statement on the event or the protest, but his Chief of Staff Ann Noonan stated, "I'm not sure about that... I would just say in regard to the protesters is that everybody has a right to freedom of speech and everyone has a right to do that."

Attempts to reach the Manhattan office of the Consulate of the Dominican Republic were unsuccessful.    

#Haiti #DominicanRepublic #Immigration