Video taken March 4, 2015 at the University of Oregon. A Dominican of Haitian-descent shares the story of ethnic cleansing happening in the Dominican Republic. Ethnic cleansing is the systematic removal of an ethnic group, in this instance Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, out of an area, Dominican Republic, forcibly or by elimination. In this case they are being deported and forced out because they no longer have rights to live there from a court decision to limit citizenship qualifiers.
This panel was brought together on the University of Oregon campus by Latin American and Ethnic Studies department faculty members to bring to light the issue of Dominicans of Haitian descent being stripped of their nationality and the rights that come with being a citizen. The goal of this panel seems to be making visible the plight of Dominican born Haitians in this current time period. A new law in the Dominican Republics constitution strips the generations of children born to Haitian immigrants and other “extranjeros,” or foreigners, since 1929. Though they were born in the country their rights have now been compromised in an extreme way. This impacts travel, work, school, and participation in government for an entire community of people. Instantly being stripped of rights and having to face the threat of being sent “back” to a country they have little to no ties to is a chilling moment in the lives of Dominicans.
Juan Telemin, who appears as the speaker in this video, is a Dominican of Haitian descent that is living through the situation as it happens in the DR. He voices the legal points of this ethnic cleansing but gives his personal feelings of confusion and betrayal by his country.
This event in 2015 shed light on some of the reasons that this situation requires urgency and attention from all over. Only 5 months after the panel, a story done by USA Today shows just how being stateless has effected men, women, and children in the country and even in the interview the representative of the state fail to acknowledge the plight of this community that has faced consequences of the court ruling in question.
This is an important moment to document for historians because it helps answer questions of the legitimacy of nationality and nation-statehood. It furthers historians many arguments around the simultaneous limited and sovereign factors of modern nations. Historians studying this topic may find this information useful when looking at how Dominican groups resisted this and how solidarity is formed outside of the country. Additionally, this ruling could be a catalyst of a mass immigration movement in the 21st century as many countries adopt new policies on citizenship and immigration as we see here.