“This is the first bus”said Bazelais Joissaint, a Haitian humanitarian worker wearing a polo shirt in the colors of his organization, the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM). After several hours of waiting in close proximity Slaughter River – which separates the border town of Ouanaminthe, in Haiti, and the city of Dajabon, opposite, in the Dominican Republic –, a white bus slowly enters a bridge spanning a stream.
In front of heavily armed Dominican border guards, the bus stopped facing the border, in the middle of the bridge. “Today starts later than usual: usually around noon or 2 p.m.”observes Bazelais Joissaint, who leads the SJM volunteer team. After a hot morning on this Tuesday in October, a storm threatened. Blowing dust created a tense atmosphere.
Twenty women and nine children, all Haitians, got off the bus, where they were loaded in Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republic’s second city, about three hours away. Some migrants returning to the border brought suitcases or small bags, but most did not bring luggage. Volunteers from several organizations work around eviction victims, providing advice and information. Despite the screaming and confusion surrounding him, the procedure seemed to have gone well.
Haggard face
In succession, two white vans from service Migration control (“migration control”) appears on the other side of the bridge, up to the demarcation line. More than a hundred forced returnees – men, women and children – emerged from behind the two vehicles. Faces haggard, clothes soaked with sweat: it must have been very hot in these dark boxes with small windows. “Buses are for women and children. Men, we always put them in the truck”summarizes Bazelais Joissaint. Then, cross-border traffic can finally resume for several hours, until the arrival of the next convoy.
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