Dominican Republic expels 1,800 children to Haiti: UNICEF

By MEGAN JANETSKY
Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) — A U.N. agency says Dominican authorities have expelled at least 1,800 unaccompanied Haitian migrant children this year, sending them back to their crisis-stricken country. UNICEF issued the report on Tuesday. The Dominican Republic denies the claim, which comes amid a government crackdown on migration in response to a cholera outbreak and gang violence in Haiti. The two countries share a 240-mile border on the island of Hispaniola. The crackdown has provoked harsh criticism by international observers, including the United States, which have accused the country of mass deportations, racist treatment of migrants and detentions of Haitians in facilities with poor conditions.