Many Dominicans of Haitian descent are in danger of being deported from the Dominican Republic because of an immigration law that was passed in 2013 and is being implemented this week. This law is unfair to the generations of Haitian Dominicans (everyone born after 1929) who call the Dominican Republic their home.

There has been a long precedent of antihaitianismo (anti-Haitianism) in the Dominican Republic since the country gained its independence from Haiti in 1844. An infamous example of this was in 1937 when Dominican President Rafael Trujillo ordered the massacre of thousands of Haitians. Despite this terrible history, Haitians and Dominicans need to recognize and heal from the past. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are different countries; however, we share an island along with very similar cultures and heritage. We are historically intertwined and we should to work in cohesion in order to create a better future for the people in both countries.

This immigration law targeting mostly Dominicans of Haitian lineage is also a testament to the continual humiliation and misrepresentation of Haitians and this is unnerving. Haiti was once one of the Caribbean’s richest islands. In 1804, it was the first island to break from colonialism and abolish slavery, becoming the first Black Republic in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti used its freedom to help neighboring Latin American countries achieve independence from colonial rule. Haiti’s current struggles are in part the result of this great history, which seems to be forgotten.

While there has been progress in Haiti under the government of President Michel Martelly, more needs to be done by Haitian leaders and the international community to stop the exploitation of Haiti and allow Haitians to use Haiti’s natural resources and other assets to develop the country. Maybe when this happens, Haitians will not need to go to the Dominican Republic or to other places for opportunities and people will flock to Haiti instead.

Haiti’s leaders and citizens and Haitians abroad must demand that the Haitians living in the Dominican Republic be treated with dignity. Dominicans on the island and abroad as well as people from other countries around the world should stand with these immigrants. Uprooting people on the basis of ethnicity from their lives, homes, and country in which they were born in or moved to is wrong. These people should not be subjected to this mistreatment or violent acts that have been occurring.  Immigrants everywhere need to be seen as contributors to a society and not its scapegoats or cast-offs.