Population figures
Total country population
11,434,006
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
1,011
Asylum-seekers:
4,789
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
121,809
Other
Statelessness persons
0
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
The Dominican Republic, sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti in the Caribbean, has a complex legal framework concerning forcibly displaced and stateless persons. The country is a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
The Dominican Republic's legal framework for refugees is governed by Migration Law No. 285-04 enacted in 2004. This law provides the basis for the recognition and protection of refugees, establishing procedures for asylum applications and granting rights to those recognised as refugees, including access to documentation, employment, education, and healthcare. However, asylum seekers without legal status are not authorised to work but have access to primary education and emergency healthcare services.
...The issue of statelessness in the Dominican Republic became more pronounced following the 2013 Constitutional Court ruling (Judgment TC/0168/13), which reinterpreted the country's nationality laws. This decision determined that individuals born in the Dominican Republic to non-citizen parents who were in transit did not automatically acquire Dominican nationality. Consequently, many individuals of Haitian descent, born in the country, were rendered stateless. In response, Law No. 169-14 was enacted in 2014, offering a pathway to citizenship for those affected by the ruling. The 2014 law was aimed to address the statelessness issue by providing a process to regularise their status and restore nationality to those who had been deprived of it. However, this law has been criticized for its limited scope and the challenges faced by individuals in proving their eligibility. Challenges remain with implementation, including bureaucratic hurdles and the need for individuals to provide documentation that many do not possess.
The Dominican Republic's geographical location in the Caribbean influences its role in regional migration patterns and contributes to the regional protection space, particularly within the context of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other regional initiatives.
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