NewsWhore
06-19-2006, 03:10 PM
The hotel construction boom that has attracted thousands of Haitian laborers to the East Coast is becoming a major obstacle to the area's development, according to a report in Saturday's Listin Diario. Thousands of these workers have built shantytowns in the area, such as Friusa, Mata Mosquito, Haiti Chiquito, that contrast with the plush resorts.
Ernesto Veloz, director of the Association of the East, is concerned about the detrimental effects of the high concentration of immigrants into slums where infrastructure is minimal and hygiene is lacking. Veloz says that the Haitians are now all over the area looking for their daily bread, performing all sorts of street jobs and begging. "The problem is truly becoming bigger every day," he warns.
The slums are encroaching on tourism areas and will create problems in the future because no controls are being exercised," he said. The slums are spreading in parallel with the urbanization of the area.
Veloz complained about the lack of controls by the Migration Department. Most of the Haitians working in the area are illegal immigrants. Construction companies hire Haitian workers, among other cost saving reasons, because they are willing to live in the area in conditions Dominican laborers would not accept. Hotel companies force competition among contractors that resort to Haitian labor in order to keep their costs down. Department of Migration inspectors apparently look the other way, despite the multiple legal violations in the case of hiring of Haitian laborers.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
Ernesto Veloz, director of the Association of the East, is concerned about the detrimental effects of the high concentration of immigrants into slums where infrastructure is minimal and hygiene is lacking. Veloz says that the Haitians are now all over the area looking for their daily bread, performing all sorts of street jobs and begging. "The problem is truly becoming bigger every day," he warns.
The slums are encroaching on tourism areas and will create problems in the future because no controls are being exercised," he said. The slums are spreading in parallel with the urbanization of the area.
Veloz complained about the lack of controls by the Migration Department. Most of the Haitians working in the area are illegal immigrants. Construction companies hire Haitian workers, among other cost saving reasons, because they are willing to live in the area in conditions Dominican laborers would not accept. Hotel companies force competition among contractors that resort to Haitian labor in order to keep their costs down. Department of Migration inspectors apparently look the other way, despite the multiple legal violations in the case of hiring of Haitian laborers.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)