Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Dominican Republic experienced a phenomenon migratory significant event that involved immigrants from the British West Indies. The movement migratory It was driven by the need for labor in the Dominican sugar industry, which during that time was going through a stage of growth.
The migration of the Antilleans begins after between the years 1912 and 1916, the Roman Central looks for white labor in Puerto Rico and only 200 braceros They will arrive in 1916. This was due to two reasons: the first was that the authorities did not provide passports to reach Santo Domingo and because of the pressures exerted starting in 1916 by the Free Federation of Workers.
According to the book “Immigrants of the British West Indies in the Dominican Republic: Cocolos in Saint Peter of Macorís and La Romana 1870-1950″, by Rafael Jarvis Luis, most of migrants who settled in Saint Peter from Macorís and La Romana were from Antigua and Saint Kitts.
The arrival of these migrants It took place during the first American occupation (1916-1924) and between the first years of the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillowhere they searched “whiten race”, this is why most of the braceros or workers were white.
Documentation required to reach the DR as worker
Due to the large flow of people leaving Saint Kittsthe authorities began to regulate the workers and that is why before leaving the island, the migrants They had to provide themselves with a passport or document proving that they were British citizens.
According to the manuscript, the migrants Those who arrived in Santo Domingo had to appear before the vice consulate in Saint Peter of Macorís and sign up for a list. With these procedures, the consulate could intervene in future problems that the migrants they could present.
The regulations were also for those who served as “promoters of the emigration towards Santo Domingo”, the Governor had to give a license to these promotersanyone interested in wanting one of those licenses had to pay 10 pounds and before the workers left, the promoter had to deliver a list with the names of the workers and four shillings for each one; over time it increased.
arrival of men
The migration of British West Indians The majority of men were included. This is due to the contracts made between the wits sugar mills and promoters of jobs or “Carter King“as they were called.
“Sometimes, some workers who had been in the country for several years requested permission from the authorities to bring their mothers, wives and sisters. Apparently there were times when it was difficult for women to enter,” says author Rafael Jarvis Luis in the book.
During the American occupation (1916-1924), a military administration ordinance gave non-Caucasians the right to regulate their status. Three years later and after the occupation ended, in 1927 it was recorded that 15,494 braceros They were favored with their residence permits. In 1928, 2,060 people were registered.
With the beginning of the Trujillo era, in 1930, the entry of migrants to the country in relation to the first three decades of the 20th century, due to the laws dictated in the first seven years of the dictatorship.
dictatorship of Trujillo
Although at the beginning of the tyranny of Rafael Leonidas Trujilloin 1930, the current of migrants went down, he did not mean that the British West Indians They stopped coming to the country. Some islands did take precautions such as Trinity and Tobago, since the authorities prohibited the departure of workers from the island.
Between 1932-1933, 1,138 workers entered the country and between 1933-1934, 1,572 entered the country, from the Lesser Antilles.
During the administration of Trujilloin the aspect of the foreigners was based on two points: increasing tax revenues and continuing the old aspirations of “whitening“. This is why for a time the migrants were “harassed” to pay a tax of immigrationthey began this practice in Santo Domingo, and continued it in Saint Peter of Macorís where several workers were arrested for the same thing.
“In 1931, the payment of a stamp of RD$3.00 was imposed on foreigners who submitted a request for immigration. For the purpose of collection and whiteningLaw no. February 279, 1932 set the tax of the entry permit at RD$300.00 and the permanence permit at RD$100.00 for those of African and Asian descent, while non-Asians and Caucasians would pay RD$6.00 for the entry permit and RD$6.00 for the permanence permit,” the document states.
At that time, violators of the law were punished by three to six months in prison or a fine ranging from 100 to 200 Dominican pesos; they could also face both punishments and be deported.
For several years the regime of Trujillo varied the prices of taxes, due to the reactions of the governments of origin of the migrants. This is why, in 1933, a law called “Dominicanization of work” was reinforced, which ordered companies to place Dominicans in 70% of jobs. “This rule harmed a large number of braceroswho lost the way to earn a living, and increased needs in many families migrants“, expresses the investigation.
What did they do? British West Indians What affected the law?
By established law, in Roman Central It affected 326 people, whose trades ranged from carpenters, drivers, locomotive engineers, mechanics, firefighters, bricklayers, among others.
The arrival of the braceros of the British West Indies declined after 1937 with the “Parsley Massacre” or slaughter of thousands of haitians sorted by Trujillowhich caused an international repudiation against the president, is such that a year later, in 1938, the Dominicanization of Labor Law was repealed.
