The United Workers Party calls on the Roosevelt Skerrit led Ruling Labour Party Administration to cease the discriminative practice of requiring Haitian Nationals to pay a “Bond” of US$400.00 to Immigration Officials at Dominica’s Ports of Entry upon being legally admitted into the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Becoming a Member State of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 2 July 2002, ensured that Haiti’s accession to CARICOM allowed for the unfettered movement of its nationals to every other Member State; therefore to require Haitians to pay a “Bond” upon entry into Dominica is shameful, embarrassing and a practice which goes against the tenets of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas signed by every Member State inclusive of Dominica.
Dominica is the only CARICOM Member State that has imposed the requirement for a US$400.00 deposit for legal entry by Haitians to Dominica. That requirement was never and has not been imposed on citizens of any other CARICOM Member State. This unpardonable act is made even more shameful when pitted against the fact that as a people Haitians blazed the Independence trail for everyone in the Caribbean basin. Having been the Party that first invited our Haitian brothers and sisters to Dominica, without an imposition of any “Bond”, the United Workers Party is abhorred at this punitive measure being placed on visiting Haitian Nationals.
