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[i] (July 15, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaafke0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CRS Insights The Dominican Republic: Tensions with Haiti over Citizenship and Migration Issues Clare Ribando Seelke, Specialist in Latin American Affairs (cseelke(Tcrs c gov1, 7-5229) Rhoda Margesson, Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy (rmargessonThcrs 1c _ov 7-0425) Maureen Taft-Morales, Specialist in Latin American Affairs (mjmoralesacrs 1 o , 7-7659) July 15, 21 T N 017) A serious dispute between the Dominican Republic and Haiti regarding the citizenship status of some 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent, as well as undocumented migrants in the Dominican Republic, threatens to exacerbate tensions between the two neighbors. In 2013, a Dominican Constitutional Tribunal ruling called into question the legal status of people of Haitian descent who were born in the Dominican Republic to undocumented parents. (See Figure, for a description of the groups affected.) At issue is how the Dominican government will determine the status of those affected by the ruling, whether individuals will be rendered stateless (not considered to be a citizen of any state under national law), and when and if the Dominican government will deport those affected to Haiti, a country ill-equipped to receive large numbers of displaced people. Intemational organizations and human rightsg assert that protection of, and assistance to, those affected are critical priorities. The situation involves a complex mix of discrimin ion in n ion-li I i lion and migration policies and lack of birth registration in the Dominican Republic combined with conflicting nationality laws between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Due to these policy discrepancies and a great deal of uncertainty, tens of thosands of Dominicans of Haitian descent have relocated to Haiti. It is unclear whether they decided to leave the Dominican Republic voluntarily or out of intimidation and fear. Figure 1. Dominican Naturalization Law and Regularization Plan FqtimnteC Si7e qnd (nmnnqiticn nfCGrniin Affectecl Source: Group A information, as well as the number of applicants for each program, is from estimates made by the Dominican Central Electoral Board. Estimates for the population of the Group B and Migrants categories are estimates taken from ENI-2012, National Survey of Immigrants in the Dominican Republic, available at http://media gnu org dQ/ONU DO web/596/sala ;rensa publicaciones/docs/0321395001368132272 df. Notes: These numbers are estimates and may change over time. The Dominican government has long received criticism for its tret ment o itin an D mini ans fHi i n AQnt. (See CRS Report R41482, Dominican Republic: Background and S. Relations.) The criteria for acquiring Dominican nationality outlined in the 2010 constitution makes children born in the Dominican Republic

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