“We live on an island, they will be our neighbors forever.There is no more creativity than building a wall, ” commented José Ignacio Paliza in 2015 when he spoke about securing the border with Haiti, but today as minister of the presidency he sees it as a waiting task for the Dominican government to control, more than the transfer of people, smuggling.
Senator Yván Lorenzo, spokesman for the Dominican Liberation Party in the Senate, published a series of tweets about Paliza while he was in opposition and opposed the wall’s construction.
Dozens of tweets published by Paliza between 2014 and 2015 show the clear denial of building a wall and claim that it would not solve the problem of illegal migration.
Even among his tweets there are several debates with people about the construction of the wall, as in the case of Vinicio Castillo, with whom he was in constant contact through the social network.
“@JosePalizaTu you have a wall or fence with your neighbor and you certainly have excellent friendships with them. But everyone in their house!” Said Castillo, to which Paliza replied: “@Viniciodiputado” But if the neighbor is hungry, And his family also, how would you stop him? Would a wall be enough? ‘
In all the tweets that Paliza published, he maintained his position of denial regarding the construction of the wall and the promotion of “free trade and the development of the border”.
Paliza’s position at the time coincides in some respects with what was said yesterday by Dominican Liberation Party spokesman in the Chamber of Deputies, Gustavo Sánchez, who said that “they can build a hundred thousand walls and continue to cross Haitians.” claim that hunger and the Haitian “failed state” will keep migration illegal.
Also speaking out against building a wall was current Customs Director, Eduardo Sanz Lovaton, who also expressed his opinion in a 2014 tweet. “Proposing a border wall in 2014 is just crazy. You wonder if they are not studying history? That never worked,” Lovatón responded on the social network.
The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, announced in his reporting that perimeter fences were being built at various points along the border, as well as the implementation of technological devices to prevent illegal migration from Haiti.
The construction would cost more than $ 100 million.
This is now the position of Minister Paliza
Even better formalization of border controls is a pending task for the Dominican government, which requires not only removing physical barriers in some areas, but also an important technological component.
The fence or border wall is being designed and planned “to better protect our border,” said one interviewee on the “El Día” program on Monday.
His argument for ‘protecting’ the border is that it is not just the physical uprising where there is a greater exchange or a greater level of vulnerability, but it is also about high-quality technological tools that exist today and produce amazing results.
He cited the case of smuggling and said as an example that the government no longer receives about 50% of taxes on the cigarette market.
“The government loses half of the cigarette tax through smuggling and the transfer of other products. As far as we don’t have strong borders, this generates consequences for other orders, not only in traffic or in the flow of individuals, but in areas that are very require special attention, ”he indicated, pointing out that the project announced by President Luis Abinader will not take time.