The nominee for the American Ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Robin Bernstein, is under heavy criticisms in that country, after stating that she will work for the rights of Haitians affected by a Dominican 2013 court ruling, stripping Dominicans of Haitian descents, their citizenships, going as far back as 1929.
Dominican legislators and other high ranking politicians have defined the position of the future ambassador as a flagrant interference in Dominican Republic’s affairs.
The President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Victor Suarez, described the statement of Robin Bernstein as “very inappropriate since the functions of an ambassador are to represent his or her country and promote Its interest, not to interfere or trace guidelines.”
The Dominican Minister of the Interior and Police, Carlos Amarante Baret, warned that his country will not cede Its sovereignty and will continue to enforce its immigration laws, which are “the exclusive domain of the Dominican State."
The president of the Accounts Chamber, Hugo Álvarez Pérez, described the statements of the nominee as ambassador of the United States in the Dominican Republic as interference.
"Just as we can not intervene in the decisions of the United States regarding immigration policy with Mexicans and Central Americans, they can not either," he said.
In response to the growing diplomatic scandal, even before the American Ambassador has officially been sworn in, the Counselor for Public Affairs of the United States, Mr Chase Beamer, released a statement saying that “ …the comments of Ambassador Bernstein are coherent with the established policies of the United States in support of human rights, regardless of descent, or origin. We appreciate the efforts of the Dominican Government to restore nationality to this population, in accordance with the agreements signed internationally, and to ensure that no citizen is marginalized due to their race to ethnicity.”
