Haiti Labour Migration

Even before the Parsley Massacre migration of Haitian laborers came to work in the Dominican Republic’s thriving sugar industry. As the decades passed and modernization shifted the Dominican Economy from agriculture to service more Haitian workers remained working in less regulated jobs with fewer legal protections. For Haitian women this means finding work in Dominican households, and for Haitian men at Dominican construction sites. This often lead to the move of an entire family (Castles, 2003). What is peculiar about this labor migration is that the,” two governments have been unable to agree upon a legal framework to address the nationality of these descendants, leaving around one million people of Haitian ancestry in the Dominican Republic effectively stateless”, this statelessness restricts Haitian- Dominicans access to health care, education and employment opportunities (Castles, 2003). Migration of work and resources between Haiti and the Dominican Republic would be beneficial to both countries, but is one of the main, “contributors to tension between the two countries as well; illegal immigration from Haiti resonates high dissonance with the Dominican people” (Castles, 2003). It has led to anti-Haitian feelings and mistrust of
Because The Dominican Republic and Haiti lack cooperation and trade with each other they are doomed to never reach full efficiency. While, yes they have other trade partners – notably other Caribbean’s countries, the United States and other countries in the Americas trading with each other would allow for specialization and boost their respective economies. While the Dominican Republic has been able to advanced and diversify their economy, Haiti has not. Haiti requires the Dominican Republic for progress. However, some cross-border cooperation exists in areas such as health, business, and infrastructure (Pones,