Above: the Harry S Truman building

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The United States Department of State has conveyed its “deep concern” to the government of the Dominican Republic over the latter’s controversial citizenship ruling, according to Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson at the State Department.

The ruling predominantly affects those of Haitian descent, a number that could surpass 200,000 people.

“We’ve conveyed our deep concern to the Government of the Dominican Republic regarding the ruling’s impact on the citizenship status of persons in the Dominican Republic,” Harf said at a press briefing last week. “We’ve urged the government to continue close consultation with international partners and civil society to identify and expeditiously address in a humane way concerns regarding the plan’s scope and reach to affected persons. So we’ll continue the dialogue, but we have expressed our concerns over it.”

It’s the first public response by the United States government to the Dominican Republic’s ruling, which has inflamed tensions both with neighbouring Haiti and the wider Caribbean region.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic are set to resume dialogue on the issue soon.