Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Nov 15, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has asked the country’s authorities to address the problem of immigration in order to prevent an outbreak of violence between Dominicans and Haitian immigrants.
“I would not rule out the possibility that there may come a time in which, on the one hand, Dominicans who feel they are being left out, and Haitians who believe they have a right to be in this country as well” create “a violent situation that we will later come to regret,” he warned.
Authorities have the duty to stop the massive influx of Haitians, the cardinal said, “because this has become a very serious matter.”
Cardinal Rodriguez said he would not be surprised if the Dominican Republic saw the same type of violence as France. “In the case of the Dominican Republic, the exact same thing is happening, that is, we have not been able to guarantee everyone an adequate and authentic education or training for work, and thus many have been left frustrated, and some have decided to leave the country,” he stated.