HAITIAN MIGRANT DEATHS REVEAL WEAK BORDER CONTROLS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 000168

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, DRL, INR/IAA, INL; USSOUTHCOM ALSO
FOR POLAD; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2015
TAGS: DR ELTN HA KJUS MARR PREF PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: HAITIAN MIGRANT DEATHS REVEAL WEAK BORDER CONTROLS

Classified By: Poloff Michael Garuckis for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. The January 11 death by suffocation of 24
illegal Haitian migrants has triggered a Dominican Government
response that includes a formal apology to Haitian
authorities, a presidential promise to seek justice with the
formation of a "blue-ribbon" investigative committee, and the
near immediate arrest and preventative detention of three
individuals. Dominican officials promise to punish the
guilty without regard to political or military rank. These
actions appear to be in line with comments made by President
Fernandez to DAS Patrick Duddy regarding the need to dampen
tensions on Haitian migration issues. The policy line
suggests that the authorities will prosecute this case
swiftly and decisively. End Summary.


2. (C) The death by suffocation of 24 Haitian illegal
immigrants in a closed rental transport truck on January 11
has raised growing indignation among both Dominican and
Haitian communities in Hispanola. As the truck traveled from
the border town of Dajabon toward the provincial capital of
Santiago, the driver and his assistant stopped not once, but
twice to pull out bodies and abandon them alongside the road.
In the end, seven of the surviving migrants were sent to the
hospital, where one subsequently died of his injuries.
Although Director General for Migration Carlos Amarante
informed emboff that a total of 69 Haitians had been
trafficked, the Embassy has not been able to determine the
whereabouts of the 38 uninjured survivors.


3. (U) The morning following the discovery, Dominican
authorities sought to deliver 22 of the bodies to a cemetery
in Haiti near the town of Ouanamenthe. Haitians initially
refused permission for the internment, but ultimately acceded
when Spanish MINUSTAH troops agreed to provide security. The
convoy was met by demonstrations, rock throwing, and,
finally, gunfire upon nearing the cemetery. It is reported
that two more Haitians died in the Ouanamenthe confrontation
and one to four MINUSTAH soldiers were injured. At least one
Dominican driver's life was reportedly saved by a bulletproof
vest, with which he had been provided before beginning the
crossing.


4. (U) Ultimately, the Dominican authorities returned the
bodies to Dajabon where, after autopsy and photography (for
identification purposes),all were buried in a common grave.
Religious rites at the burial were performed by Father
Rogelio of the Jesuit Service for Migrants.


5. (C) President Fernandez commented to State Department DAS
for the Caribbean Patrick Duddy on the evening of January 11
that military officials were certainly involved in the
smuggling operation. (Comment: Our knowledge of the border
suggests to us that the guilty in this case are not limited
to the military, who don't always make the decisions in the
region, but probably also include both local politicians and
businessmen. End comment.)


6. (C) The Dominican morning papers today report that on
January 12, President Fernandez sent to the Haitian Interim
Government's President and Prime Minister letters of
condolence through diplomatic channels. These letters
condemned "the unfortunate events" referenced above while
stating that the Dominican government would investigate and
bring to justice those responsible. The Attorney General has
promised an exhaustive investigation in which there will be
no "sacred cows", a sentiment echoed to poloffs on January 13
by the Assistant Attorney General for Anti-Trafficking and
Smuggling Frank Soto: "The guilty will pay the consequences
without regard to political or military rank." Fernandez has
designated a special investigating commission composed of the
Attorney General, the head of the armed forces, the chief of
the national police, and the director of migration.
According to Soto, this commission has already met in Santo
Domingo and will travel to Dajabon on January 14. They are
unlikely to work with Haitian officials, however. Soto notes
that Dominican-Haitian cooperation in this case collapsed in
the immediate aftermath of the Ouanamenthe violence.


7. (C) While the official investigation has but begun,
initial inquiries by the Attorney General's office, including
interviews with three survivors, indicate that the migrants
in question came from various parts of Haiti and had no
common destination in the Dominican Republic, save their
planned journey's end in Santiago. Soto assumes for the
moment that this was a typical journey for common laborers,
several of whom were returning to the Dominican Republic
after previous illegal entries.


8. (C) The Justice Ministry states that the investigating
magistrate in the border town of Dajabon has already put
three individuals into preventive detention based on flight
risk. They will be charged with homicide, criminal
conspiracy, and illegal trafficking of migrants in violation
of the Penal Code and Law 137-03 on Illegal Trafficking of
Migrants and Other Persons. The three are the truck's renter
and driver Elvis Rafael Rodriguez Ortiz, the truck driver's
helper Esteban Martinez Rosario, and German Antonio Tatis,
who had lodged the illegals in Dajabon. According to Soto,
Rodriguez Ortiz has named three additional civilians as
culpable participants. Meanwhile, local newspaper reporting
suggests that at least twenty military officers and possibly
as many as troops have been called in for questioning. Soto
says that additional arrests are possible within the coming
days.


9. (U) The Attorney General's office stated that the Dajabon
border crossing has been temporarily closed as a
precautionary measure.
HERTELL