The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee on Social Justice and International Policy presented its Report #21 on Resolution D058 (Dominicans of Haitian Descent) and moved adoption with amendment.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D058)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 78th General Convention condemn the ruling, and its enforcement, of the Dominican Republic’s constitutional court on September 23, 2013, which ruled ineligible for citizenship any children born of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic and ordered authorities to audit all of the nation’s birth records back to June 1929 to determine who no longer qualifies for citizenship, thereby making such persons effectively stateless with an estimated 200,000 persons being made stateless retroactively and ineligible to obtain a birth certificate, attend school, work, drive, open bank accounts, receive state health insurance and pensions, get baptized, or get married; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention condemn the building and use of seven “centros de acogida” or “shelters” that are actually concentration camps where Dominicans “identified” as being of Haitian descent will be housed until a “final evaluation” can be made or subject to immediate deportation to Haiti, a country many such Dominicans have never lived in; and be it further

Resolved, That all Episcopalians pray for Dominicans of Haitian descent and all other stateless persons in the world that they may find homes where they are welcomed and afforded legitimate residential, educational, work status, and legal documentation of their personhood for themselves and their children; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention affirm its support of the Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic and its Bishop Julio Caesar Holguín Khoury and the Diocese of Haiti and its Bishop Jean Zache Duracin in their efforts to provide advocacy and other succor to those affected by the Dominican Republic’s constitutional court ruling; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention direct the Office of Government Relations to communicate to the United States, at the United Nations, and to our ecumenical and interreligious partners to protest this human rights issue with the Dominican Republic on behalf of Dominicans of Haitian descent and others similarly affected by this issue; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention encourage the next Presiding Bishop to lead another fact-finding delegation to the Dominican Republic together with ecumenical and interreligious partners, as a follow-up to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s fact-finding trip to the Dominican Republic in December 2013, and to make a report to the Executive Council and to the Church upon the Presiding Bishop’s return; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention direct the Episcopal Public Policy Network to continue to engage in a concerted effort to educate and alert the members of the Episcopal Church of this significant human rights issue against the Dominican Republic’s own citizens of Haitian descent and potential large-scale tragedy and to encourage their advocacy within their churches and communities; and be it further

Resolved, That the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $50,000 for the implementation of this resolution.”

Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 78th General Convention condemn the ruling, and its enforcement, of the Dominican Republic’s constitutional court on September 23, 2013, which ruled ineligible for citizenship any children born of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic and ordered authorities to audit all of the nation’s birth records back to June 1929 to determine who no longer qualifies for citizenship, thereby making such persons effectively stateless with an estimated 200,000hundreds of thousands of persons being made stateless retroactively and ineligible to obtain a birth certificate, attend school, work, drive, open bank accounts, receive state health insurance and pensions, get baptized, or get married; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention condemn the building and use of seven “centros de acogida” or “shelters” that are actually concentration camps where Dominicans “identified” as being of Haitian descent will be housed until a “final evaluation” can be made or subject to immediate deportation to Haiti, a country many such Dominicans have never lived in; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention advocate to the Government of the Dominican Republic that they faithfully comply with Law No. 169-14, in order to complete the revalidation of birth certificates and delivery of identity documents to all the people of Haitian descent born in the Dominican Republic who have been affected by ruling No. 168-13 of the Constitutional Court, and that under no circumstances will any person born in the Dominican Republic be arbitrarily expelled from his/her country or placed in centros de acogida (reception centers) or “refugio” (refuge) against their will; and be it further

Resolved, That all Episcopalians pray for Dominicans of Haitian descent and all other stateless persons in the world that they may find homes where they are welcomed and afforded legitimate residential, educational, work status, and legal documentation of their personhood for themselves and their children; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention affirm its support of The Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic and its Bishop Julio Caesar Holguín Khoury and the Diocese of Haiti and its Bishop Jean Zache Duracin in their efforts to provide advocacy and other succor to those affected by the Dominican Republic’s constitutional court ruling; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention direct the Office of Government Relations to communicate to the United States government, atto the United Nations, and to our ecumenical and interreligious partners to protest this human rights issue with the Dominican Republic on behalf of Dominicans of Haitian descent and others similarly affected by this issue.; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention encourage the next Presiding Bishop to lead another fact-finding delegation to the Dominican Republic together with ecumenical and interreligious partners, as a follow-up to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s fact-finding trip to the Dominican Republic in December 2013, and to make a report to the Executive Council and to the Church upon the Presiding Bishop’s return; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention direct the Episcopal Public Policy Network to continue to engage in a concerted effort to educate and alert the members of the Episcopal Church of this significant human rights issue against the Dominican Republic’s own citizens of Haitian descent and potential large-scale tragedy and to encourage their advocacy within their churches and communities; and be it further

Resolved, That the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $50,000 for the implementation of this resolution.”

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #341)