Hospital Deportations Force Mothers into Risky Home Births

Haitian women in the Dominican Republic face alarming challenges when it comes to childbirth. Since the Dominican government initiated deportations of undocumented migrants from hospitals, many women like Katty Joseph, 20, opt for perilous home births.

Ms. Joseph resisted visiting a public hospital due to fear of deportation. Dominican immigration agents were actively apprehending migrants in medical facilities, leading to the deportation of mothers and their newborns. These measures have particularly affected Haitians fleeing humanitarian crises at home.

Having arrived a year prior, Ms. Joseph lived in a car repair shop’s backroom after being taken in by its owner. This cramped, makeshift space became the setting for her delivery late in October.

Placing a blanket on the dirty floor, she struggled in the intense Caribbean heat. A friend assisted her, but she alone severed the umbilical cord using a razor. Tragically, her baby did not survive beyond the first day.

“It was a very difficult moment,” Ms. Joseph shared in Creole, as she recounted her experience with profound loss.