4K CHAOS in Dominican Republic: Haitian deportations, and Tax Panic! 

I think this is the best explanation I’ve heard of the current border situation to a foreign audience. Very simple, complete, and to the point. The tax reform is straight up abus1ve given the astronomically high spending and borrowing of the government without being reflected into the quality of life of the population. I hope the protests are worth for them to at least rethink this. It will hurt foreign investment, too!

You’re absolutely right. I come several times a year and follow the news. When Dominican hospitals fill with Haitians it is the DR poor who suffer. The Haitians don’t pay, they can’t but the Dominicans are left holding the bag

We Dominicans don’t want to keep getting our taxes raised to pay for Hatian ladies giving birth in DR totally free. It’s an insane burden, all while we have no room in our hospitals for our own citizens. Our public schools are also overwhelmed. The Hatian government needs to stop neglecting its citizens and expect another poor developing nation to pay for them. This is not being racist.

It's so refreshing to have a really good video on a country that is so substantive. Keep up the good work. You're terrific.

Great job with tough topics. Immigration in particular is a tough one and it is understood that DR must look out for its citizens and borders.

Great job, young lady; fair and balanced. Que viva la República Dominicana. Blessings ❤

I definitely agree with you in terms of immigration topics and you don't need to be apologetic!

Another thing they says that we only have 500,000 Haitians here, thats the bigest jokenof the acentury. We have more than 3 millions living

Thank you for all that very important information! 👍

I love your channel you are giving valuable and actionable information. Thank you 🔺

I only tell you thank you excellent so people that don't understand this problem they can understand in English this big problem in D.R.i going to follow this channel right now

100% AGREE WITH YOUR EXPLANATION ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION SITUATION COULD NOT MORE CLEAR. THANKS.

The Dominican Republic as we speak is probably the most democratic state in Latin America.

I love your adjustment to the motorcycles. You're lucky you're not in my parent's house in the Campo. You wouldn't go past your introduction. Good video!

Tax proposals are always aggressive in the DR. Once proposals are introduced, eveything gets negotiated to a reasonable amount. That means that you will pay more, but not as much as what made you scared.

I really appreciate this video. My issue is the deportation of people born in the Dominican Republic to a country where they have never been, let alone lived. It is not their language, culture or home. I have no issue with strong border control or deporting people who illegally crossed the border into the Dominican Republic. Thanks as always. I enjoy your videos.

We gained Independance from our colonizers, Spain, in 1821. We expelled a Haitin invasion of our territory in 1844. My personal opinion is that Haiti was a French historical mistake on our island of Santo Domingo at the end of the 17th century.

Es una locura! Toda el alza de impuestos..

Excellent commentary and synopsis of these 2 critical issues.

Que bueno que ha tratado este tema del la reforma constitucional, yo considers que aunque es necesaria primero deberia buscarse la solucion en las evasiones y la informalidad, saludos desde newyork

Well said!!!

Totally agree with you on the Haitian situation; and no it’s not because they are black why they are being deported. On the new proposed taxes I believe the government is doing the right thing. The country can grow and develop by way of huge investments from business within or external. If the government needs to get money to develop better infrastructures, it can only do so by borrowing money from the IMF, the World Bank and there are also other ways. It can also raise money through taxes, the safest ways. You guys don’t want to keep getting entangled with the IMF o the World Bank. My two cents. Great video.👍

Dominicans have the same immigration problem that he the US has and other European countries also have, and that is the economic progress attracts poverty strickened people.

Do we have to pay property taxes the same way we do here in the united states

One of the reasons the country is proposing a tax reform is to increase it S&P credit rating from non-investment grade to Investment grade which makes the country look less risky for international investors

Good job very well documented. My opinion about the migration and Dominicans complaining that there's no job. Well this is the chance to start looking for jobs, you better take those empty spots left by the deportation before the Haitians come back and take those jobs again. If 10 thousands Haitians get deported every week there should be at least 6 to 7 thousand new jobs available every week. I hope the young Dominicans that spend the day in the corner wasting their life can do something productive for the country.

Will there be grandfather protection on comfotur for those who have already purchased property?

The DR is becoming like the US now that they are upgrading. The new taxes are going to come as the DR Moves up further modernize. It enevetable. Great channel ! I just subscribed

Hey, Eli. I would like to know your thoughts or perspectives about Dominican history. I look forward to it.

Pleeeeease keep us updated 😢

Keep up the good work!

27%tax is crazy, is that a monthly or yearly tax?

So much for moving to the Dominican Republic. Why do you pay taxes on cars each year when you paid for the cars with your own money? That sounds ridiculous!

The tax on tourism industry should be raised some ,to reduce tax on dominican people. Property tax should look at what hotels pay first. I'm a tourist, don't see much trickle down to ordinary people. Also the pay rate in hotels should reflect the hours worjed.

I´d like to at to this interesting debate starting with minute 2:28, that the video discusses "Jus Soli" in the Dominican Republic, emphasizing key historical and legal changes. However, "Jus Soli" was the constitutional law from 1929 until 2010, when reforms targeted against current Haitian immigrants, who were living here largely due to U.S.-initiated sugar cane labor between 1916 to 1924. Institutionally, the major legal shift began with Law No. 285-04, redefining "in transit" to exclude Haitian workers, followed by the 2010 constitutional reform and the highly controversial 2013 ruling (Sentencia No. TC/0168/13), which retroactively stripped Dominican nationality from those born between 1929 and 2007. These legal changes disproportionately affected Haitians, highlighting a targeted effort to expel this immigrant group from the country.

Nosotros veremos las consecuencias. No es divertido cuando el conejo tiene el arma. Para mejorar un país se necesitan tres cosas: 1. Un ejército fuerte. 2. Un recurso natural que se pueda exportar. 3. Y gente a la que se pueda explotar para obtener ganancias. Es la historia de todos los países poderosos. Lamentablemente, esto es cierto.

Illegale is illegale. The tas reforms is only the start

Subed. Vamo apoyar la prima.

I think the Dominican Republic should avoid foreign extremist politics no matter if they are Far Left or the Far Right Trumper-type nonsense. Dominicans should learn from the best-performing nations ABOVE the United States and understand different political and economic systems and if some of these policies can be applied to the Dominican Republic. Climate Change and other scientific matters should not be a political issue in a way that conspiracies are spread instead of reality. Higher taxes are not always "bad" if you have the right conditions. For example, if certain taxes are applied to give the middle class and poor Dominicans better social services, this can be a major advantage. Also, stronger labor laws and more jobs including more technologically advanced jobs for Dominicans will help progress the Dominican Republic. Less corruption and more transparency can help the standard of living rise for more Dominicans along with the GDP.

What’s happening in the Dominican Republic is the American influence The social programs are growing and it is becoming a welfare state. Remember the Dominican Republic is only 1/2 of an island the other half is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Therefore Dominican Republic is too small to sustain all the social programs it has created for itself. This small 1/2 of an island simply cannot afford it.

I'm sorry, but taxes are the price of progress. If only we could get an honest accountability system so politicians don't steal it and everyone pay their fair share we can build a strong developed nation. I see the country trending in the right direction and am willing to pay my share. In the US I pay around 35% income tax, plus 8-9 % on most purchases, plus some additional state, city and local taxes, and have a huge urban housing crisis with crazy rent, property tax and insurance bill and mortgage payments, so we can do it, but we have to face the challenge because we have to pay if we want to develop and not live in poverty forever like our neighbors. So my belief is we should focus on demanding stronger protection of the treasure instead of opposing the unavoidable taxes.

The tax reform was aimed to sound harsh at the beginning so as to creat a debate and end up with a reasonable one. So brace yourself as it will be a rough and easy ride intermittently.

I hope the tax law passes. Then, we can all pay a price for what has been going on, lately. 😉

I am Dominican, live in Europe(far away from Spain btw) and have been a proud homeowner for many years and I pay land taxes. I understand the concerns of our people, but as someone who has lived most of his life outside the country, I can see where this is going. Taxes are unfortunately a necessary evil that helps reimburse any benefits people receive in the future. It depends on how the government uses this money, but in general all developed countries do this to fund their welfare system. We can argue that people don't earn enough or that the social system doesn't exist in the DR. But if we never start, we will never reach the level of developed countries and we will continue to live in the past just because it benefits “ME” as a person the way things are today.

Tax will 100% go up

Thanks, that's an interesting video and you cover many things, but I will just comment on the following: 1-Haitian women using our hospitals: I agree that it’s a problem when a large part of our health budget goes to treating Haitian mothers here illegally. However, this is an issue for border police, not hospitals. I keep asking: How do pregnant women, often in labor, manage to travel hundreds of kilometers from the border to hospitals in Santo Domingo or Santiago? Why doesn’t anyone in the press ask the president that during his Monday briefings? Once these women arrive at our hospitals, by law, they must be treated (as it should be). Doctors and nurses are there to care for patients, not to act as immigration officers. If we don't address the problem at the source-the border-we’re wasting our time. 2-Haitian students in our schools: This issue isn’t as simple as described. Yes, there are around 174,000 Haitian kids in our schools, but their parents work here and pay taxes (ITBIS, soon to be VAT). There are also reports that Dominican families try to enroll their children in better public schools outside their designated areas. I can’t say how accurate that is because, as usual, our journalists focus on the headlines and don’t do investigative work. While this is a problem, if it’s immigration-related, please refer to my earlier point. Teachers and principals aren’t immigration enforcers, and by law, everyone in the country (not just citizens) is entitled to an education. 3-Fiscal reform: The tax reform highlights the deficiencies in our democracy. The government has a spending problem, largely because it’s used by the ruling party to create jobs for their supporters. We have one of the largest governments in Latin America by population percentage. While we’ve made progress, we’re not a developed country, and we should have a more efficient government. Look at the 4% of GDP spent on education-it’s a significant amount, yet our students remain the worst in the region. The same inefficiency exists across all sectors. Instead of fixing this, the government wants more money from us. That mindset is dangerous, and it's why 45% of voters didn’t bother in the last election. If we don’t stand up to Abinader and his cronies, we risk ending up with a Dominican version of Fidel Castro or Hugo Chávez, losing what we have for generations.

Halo❤

Let's play the Dominican game: Haitians are not Black, they are Haitian 😂

Taxwise, this is not going to encourage investing in Dominican Republic! As for immigration towards Haitians, it is understandable to a certain point. I have heard that lots of them who are legally in the country are being pick up in the streets to be driven and expelled to Haiti and that is totally wrong. Lots of these people have been working hard in the Dominican fields, construction, hottellerie and so on. If they are legal they shouldn't be expelled. They have contribuated to the development of the country since many years. Also, lots of corruption in the DR. I am not Haitian but all of this doesn't encourage one to invest in DR...after all this could happen to anyone that comes in your country and invest no matter where they are for!

DR is gona be own by the us , little by little 😂 she said it has to pass to congress , DR is a independent country why is it going to congress ? Your government is selling DR to the US 🇺🇸😂😂😂😂

The goberment should charge the men to pay for their children been born in The Dominican Republic," un buen gustazo un buen trancazo de pago!.

Here is the biggest problem guys, the magic question how are the Haitians returning into DR after having been deported back to Haiti,,,, if millions of Haitian are being deported and millions are returning through border,, then someone is making a lot of money giving the Haitians back access to the country illegally knowing at some point they'll get caught and face deportation once more,,, the other question is what national authority is illegally smuggling these Haitians back into DR ? It seems like a pond, making money smuggling Haitians and adding onto current border problem,,, to get that border in order everyone have to be on the same page,, if the big 🤔 dominican authorities close to the borders are allow smuggling of Haitians into DR then reoccurring issues as it has been for years and centuries

All countries should protect their own borders and enforce their immigration laws. A country is not a country without borders and which doesn't enforce it's own laws. And no other country should meddle in how sovereign nations enforce their laws. Their citizens voted for this. It's their own business! I hope those Dominicans that live in the USA that are for DR enforcing their own immigration laws and protecting their own borders don't complain when the US does the same. I can't stand when people say the USA has plenty of land to allow anybody that wants to come here be allowed to come without going through the immigration system. The same crap that's going on in the DR is happening here.

Haitian are not the problem, the Dominicans are.

All Dominicans better vote for Trump to save DR

Que barbaridad! RD el mejor país del mundo!!! Estos políticos....

I'm a Haitian your video is Dominican friendly and against Haitian Maybe you are Dominican or love a Dominican and for that reason you communicate from your point of view but understand and investigate that the change in the constitution must not affect Haitian or migrant born in the Dominican Republic before the change those Haitian are the one asking for the due nationalities or citizenship plus you are not saying that the massive deportation is affecting migrants who are legal in the Dominican Republic those are being victim of migration agents who break their ID that allowed them being legal in the Dominican Republic which is not even fair enough to exceed to point to even shoot and hit some Haitian immigrant. It is just because Haitian are Black and poor plus a historical hate.