Thousands of Dominican Haitians have been waiting — some for days — to enter the Ministry of the Interior to complete a "regularization" process in order to avoid deportation.
A 2013 ruling by the Dominican Republic's top court rendered hundreds of thousands of people in the country effectively stateless by revoking their citizenship. After an outcry from the international community, the Dominican government passed a law allowing residents a pathway to naturalization.
Wednesday, June 17 was the deadline for those registering for naturalization at government bureaus around the country, the busiest of which was in the capital, Santo Domingo.
VICE News was at the Ministry of the Interior in the capital on the day leading up to the deadline, where thousands of Dominican Haitians were waiting to register for citizenship.
Dominican Republic Gives Haitians Until Midnight to Register or Face Deportation
In Photos: Anger Flares Over Tonight's Deportation Deadline in the Dominican Republic