[Clemenza]

There has been a steady flow of Haitians into DR for over a hundred years. This is why so many in DR have French last names, especially in the barrios. Interestingly enough, the Dominican leader who was most brutal towards Haitian migrants (the massacres on the border became so commonplace that Kennedy gave the OK to have him deposed) was Trujillo, who, ironically had a Haitian grandmother.

BTW: Don't ever fall for the classic Dominican line that Doms are "not black like those Haitians." Most Dominicans look no different from black Americans, but are still more brown than Haitians (other than the mulatto elite).

[livius]

Yes, Dominicans and Haitians are almost equally black, although it seems to me that there is a somewhat larger number of average folk in the DR who are light-skinned (in Haiti, only the upper class seems to be light skinned).

I know that Haitian infiltration into DR has always been a problem. And it’s true that Dominicans definitely do not like Haitians!