“(Migration) is a global phenomenon that grows every day…and it has pastoral implications,” explained Bishop Francisco Ozoria Acosta, ICMC Member from the Dominican Republic and host of this year’s meeting. “It’s a complicated and delicate phenomenon,” he said to the Catholic News Service, “but it is of great importance to the church.” Other ICMC Council and Governing Committee Members in attendance were Ambassador Johnny Young, Executive Director of Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Oscar Andrés Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga, and Sister Janete Ferreira, Director of the Mission of the Scalabrinians in Ecuador.

This year’s strong, high profile, and principled statement from the Bishops calls particular attention to the dire situation of the Haitian population in the Dominican Republic: “We are concerned about the impediment that the Dominican State places to hundreds of Dominicans of Haitian descent to acquire and renovate of necessary documentation. With this practice, the Dominican State violates this population and their right to exercise citizenship already acquired, study, get a decent job, marry, inscribe their children, qualify for Health Insurance and Pension Fund, open bank accounts, travel etc.” Further, the Bishops signal “deep concern” for the Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic who face “inhumane working conditions that are extremely degradable as is the case of sugar workers. We are concerned about the situation of the children of undocumented migrants who remain in legal limbo.”

Jane Bloom, ICMC Liaison Officer based in Washington D.C. was invited to speak to the group about the growing work of ICMC in the region as part of its new strategic partnership agreement with the UNHCR’s Regional Office in Washington D.C. “ICMC will soon have eight (8) workers deployed in the region: three (3) are already in Haiti working with a caseload of women and children who are survivors of gender-based violence, one just completed her assignment here in the Dominican Republic, and a protection expert starts this week in Surinam.” ICMC’s focus, Bloom explained, is on increasing protection in the Caribbean region for persons of concern, including victims of trafficking, refugees, vulnerable migrants, and unaccompanied minors.

The Bishops pledged action on a number of critical issues including: to promote laws that favor legalization and promotion of migrant rights; and to advocate with the Mexican government for transit visas to give Central Americans in transit to the U.S. a degree of protection and security.

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For furhter information, please contact:

ICMC Inc. USA
Jane Bloom
E: bloom@icmc.net<
T: +1 202 541 3389

To read the full statement, please see the pdf below.

ST: Catholic Bishops Conferences' fifth meeting on regional migration (896.75 KB)