Opinion: Anti-Haitianism Then and Now – Trujillo to Abinader

From the 1937 massacre under Rafael Trujillo to today’s mass deportations under President Luis Abinader, anti-Haitianism remains deeply rooted in the Dominican Republic. While not genocidal, Abinader’s policies have led to widespread human rights abuses, with thousands of Haitian migrants facing arbitrary detention, violence, and deportation. As international organizations raise alarms, the legacy of anti-Haitian sentiment continues to threaten human dignity and stability in the region.

Can't read it? Listen now!

0:00

In 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the massacre of over 20,000 Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, an ethnic cleansing that scarred the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Today, while there is no genocide, President Luis Abinader’s policies echo the same underlying anti-Haitian sentiment, marked by widespread human rights violations, including mass deportations and mistreatment of Haitian migrants.

The 1937 Massacre: A History of Violence

The infamous Parsley Massacre of 1937 was a brutal episode of ethnic cleansing along the Haitian-Dominican border. Dominican soldiers, following Trujillo’s orders, asked people to pronounce the Spanish word for parsley, “perejil,” knowing that Creole-speaking Haitians often struggled with the pronunciation. Those who failed the test were beaten or killed. Historians estimate between 9,000 to 20,000 Haitians were slaughtered, and bodies were thrown into the Massacre River. Trujillo’s regime used anti-Haitianism to unify Dominicans under a racial identity, despite shared historical and cultural ties between the two nations.

Anti-Haitianism: From Trujillo to Today

Although Trujillo’s regime ended in 1961, the seeds of anti-Haitianism took root in Dominican society, becoming a pervasive social norm. In 2013, a ruling by the Dominican Constitutional Court retroactively stripped citizenship from thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent, rendering them stateless, a move widely condemned by human rights organizations. This policy was a clear reflection of the enduring anti-Haitian ideology that continues to shape immigration and citizenship laws in the Dominican Republic.

Today, President Luis Abinader’s government has ramped up deportation efforts, expelling up to 10,000 undocumented Haitian migrants per week since October 2024, with reports of brutality, extortion, and human rights abuses accompanying these deportations. Haitian officials and international organizations have condemned these actions as discriminatory and dehumanizing, with Prime Minister Garry Conille labeling them “a violation of fundamental human dignity”. The mass deportations, although not genocidal, are seen as a continuation of the Dominican state’s historical marginalization of Haitians.

A Continued Struggle for Dignity

The current mass deportations and human rights violations reflect the deeply ingrained anti-Haitianism that has plagued Dominican policy for decades. While Trujillo’s 1937 massacre sought to physically eradicate Haitians, Abinader’s policies target their dignity and rights, making them vulnerable to systemic abuse. This persistent ideology continues to fuel tensions between the two countries, as Haitians remain scapegoats for the Dominican Republic’s economic and social challenges.

The international community, particularly organizations like the OAS and the United Nations, must intervene to ensure that human rights are upheld and that these violent deportations do not lead to further instability. The lessons of 1937 remain relevant today, as unchecked anti-Haitianism continues to undermine the human rights of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic.

Rafael Trujillo’s massacre of Haitians was a horrific act of ethnic cleansing that left lasting scars on Hispaniola. Today, President Luis Abinader’s aggressive deportation policies, though not genocidal, echo a continued disregard for Haitian lives and dignity in the Dominican Republic. Haitian Ambassador Gandy Thomas recently condemned these mass deportations as a “discriminatory campaign” akin to ethnic cleansing, warning of rising marginalization and human rights abuses. The deportation of over 7,000 Haitians in just four days violates bilateral agreements and exacerbates Haiti’s humanitarian crisis, with international organizations expressing alarm over the growing anti-Haitian sentiment. Immediate action is needed to prevent further violations of human rights.