IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 443 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the September 23, 2013, decision of the Dominican Republic Constitutional 

Court that places hundreds of thousands of Dominican born persons 

at risk of statelessness. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 12, 2013 

Mr. MEEKS (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, 

Ms. LEE of California, Ms. CLARKE of New York, and Ms. WATERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the September 23, 2013, decision of the Dominican 

Republic Constitutional Court that places hundreds of 

thousands of Dominican born persons at risk of statelessness. 

Whereas international norms on statelessness are guided by 

Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 

that states, ‘‘No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his 

or her nationality’’; 

Whereas understanding the broad reaching affects of statelessness on the United States and the global community, 

the United States cosponsored a resolution on the right 


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•HRES 443 IH 

to nationality for women and children at the 20th session 

of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, 

Switzerland; 

Whereas the Dominican Republic Constitutional Court ruling 

168 pronounced that all individuals of ‘‘migrant background’’ born in the Dominican Republic since 1929 

must be transferred to a list that will be examined on an 

individual basis to determine if their parents were undocumented, thereby calling into question the legal status 

of children born to said parents regardless of any previously established Dominican citizenship of these children; 

Whereas the majority of individuals that are subject to this 

ruling are of Haitian descent; 

Whereas previously accepted documentation for parents and 

children may now be called into question and deemed inadequate; 

Whereas individuals born in the Dominican Republic of Haitian descent whose documentation is rejected could be 

retroactively stripped of Dominican citizenship under the 

government’s regularization plan, resulting in arbitrary 

deprivation of nationality in violation of international law; 

Whereas a stateless person is someone who under national 

laws is not recognized as a citizen and does not enjoy the 

legal bond between an individual and the government of 

a country; 

Whereas statelessness is a problem that expands beyond the 

borders within which it exists and has regional and global 

implications, including heightened vulnerability to trafficking in persons, forcible displacement, social exclusion, 

and sexual and physical violence; 


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•HRES 443 IH 

Whereas Executive Order 327–13 signed by President Medina of the Dominican Republic on November 29, 2013, 

is a positive step toward regularizing the status of foreigners living in the Dominican Republic, but under the 

decree Dominicans of Haitian descent stripped of their 

nationality by decision 168–13 are erroneously deemed to 

be foreigners; 

Whereas taking into account Article 8 of Executive Order 

327–13 and recognizing President Medina’s promise to 

provide a path to citizenship for all individuals born in 

the Dominican Republic and stripped of their nationality 

by decision 168–13, the decree does not take all necessary steps in consultation with civil society to ensure 

full restoration of nationality for all individuals affected 

by decision 168–13, whether or not they have been previously registered in the civil registry; and 

Whereas without recognition of Dominican nationality, persons are denied benefits available to Dominican citizens, 

including freedom of movement, the right to vote, legally 

recognized marriage, health insurance, and higher level 

schooling: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) it is the unequivocal policy of the United 

4 States to promote the right to nationality without 

5 arbitrary deprivation by any state as articulated in 

6 Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of the 

7 Human Rights; and 

8 (2) the United States Ambassador to the Orga9 nization of American States (OAS) in consultation 


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•HRES 443 IH 

1 with OAS member states, in particular governments 

2 of Caribbean nations, President of the Permanent 

3 Council, and the Inter-American Commission, should 

4 pursue a multilateral approach to promptly address 

5 the potential crisis in the Dominican Republic as a 

6 result of that nation’s Constitutional Court ruling on 

7 September 23, 2013, that could render hundreds of 

8 thousands of Dominican born persons stateless. 

Æ 


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