Dominican Republic authorities launch investigation into alleged rape of minor by immigration officer News
Jos1950, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dominican Republic authorities launch investigation into alleged rape of minor by immigration officer

The Dominican Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on Thursday into the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by an immigration officer.

Human Rights Activist Santiago Molina filed on Tuesday a criminal complaint against an immigration officer for the rape of a minor. The activist stated that in the early morning of April 5, immigration officers entered a neighborhood in Punta Cana by forcibly breaking into houses while searching for Haitians. He added that the minor, whose mother was working early that day, was alone when she was assaulted and that there is proof of the rape according to a medical report, but the identity of the officer hasn’t been clarified yet because the officers had their faces covered.

Molina indicated that this isn’t the first time he has had to file a criminal complaint for rape and that undocumented Haitians are worried for their safety because of the way they are often approached by immigration officers.

The Dominican government issued a statement on Friday apologizing for what happened, indicating that those responsible must and will be punished. Director of Migration Venancio Alcántara stated:

This is an outrageous and reprehensible crime. We assure the citizens that if any of the immigration officers are involved in such shameful violations, they will be terminated and handed over to the justice system to determine their innocence or guilt. We won’t show leniency because we don’t tolerate such actions, as immigration officers are instructed daily to treat interdicted foreigners with respect, regardless of nationality, as their mission is to enforce Law 285-04.

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