For Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, ‘reproduction is like a death sentence’

A 32-year-old Haitian migrant woman named Lourdia Jean-Pierre passed away on May 9 after giving birth at her rural home in El Ceibo, Dominican Republic due to postpartum hemorrhage, as per The Haitian Times. She was afraid to seek medical help at a hospital for fear of deportation. Following her death, paramedics and police officers arrived at her residence to check on the newborn and detain her husband, Ronald Jean, who left the baby with a relative while awaiting deportation.

Between April 21 and the end of May this year, approximately 900 pregnant or lactating women were deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti as part of the country’s stringent immigration policies. In May alone, 22,778 Haitians were deported to Haiti.

Following a new wave of mass deportations initiated by the Dominican government last October, President Luis Abinader mandated the deportation of 10,000 Haitians weekly. Extraordinary measures to control immigration were announced on April 6, with the policy implementation starting on April 21. The new protocol requires migrants to present documentation before receiving medical care or face deportation, impacting pregnant and breastfeeding women accessing hospitals.

The targeting of pregnant migrants in the Dominican Republic is not a recent development. In September 2021, a protocol was introduced to restrict pregnant migrant women’s access to healthcare in the country, leading to deportation raids in maternity wards. Despite a decrease in these raids between 2022 and 2024, women continued to fear attending prenatal appointments, essential in preventing maternal deaths.

Haitians in the Dominican Republic face challenges in applying for or renewing visas, exacerbated by the closure of Dominican consulates in Haiti since September 2022. The lack of documentation among Dominicans with Haitian ancestry, compounded by the denationalization of up to 200,000 individuals in 2013, also puts Dominican-Haitians at risk of deportation when seeking healthcare.

The structural racism prevalent in the Dominican Republic further complicates the situation for pregnant women, with anti-Black racism and anti-Haitianism influencing policies. Reproductive health rights are under threat, as maternal mortality rates remain high in Haiti due to preventable causes like hemorrhages and unsafe abortions, worsened by limited access to healthcare services.

Deported migrants, including Dominican-Haitians, face challenges in Haiti with restricted access to healthcare and social services. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti is exacerbated by financial cuts impacting aid organizations, leaving the population vulnerable to food insecurity and displacement. Protests have erupted against deportation raids and mistreatment of migrants, highlighting the urgent need for policy changes and support for vulnerable populations.