Threat of Deportations Leads to Risky Childbirth for Haitian Mothers
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- Katty Joseph, a Haitian woman living in the Dominican Republic, avoided hospitals to give birth due to fear of deportation.
- Dominican immigration officials have been detaining undocumented migrants, including mothers and newborns, at public hospitals for over a year.
- This crackdown has primarily targeted Haitians fleeing a severe humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
- Ms. Joseph, who arrived in the Dominican Republic a year ago, gave birth in a car repair shop's backroom without medical assistance.
- She delivered the baby herself under difficult conditions, with the newborn initially not crying.