Haitians protest at embassy in Chile over alleged irregular document fees

Haitian nationals protested Saturday outside their embassy in Santiago over alleged irregular charges for criminal record certificates needed to regularize their immigration status, according to media reports.

More than 100 Haitians gathered outside the embassy to denounce alleged difficulties in obtaining the certificates.

Carabineros, Chile’s national police force, responded after protesters entered the building, according to the BioBioChile digital news portal.

David Antoine, spokesperson for the Haitian community in Chile, described the situation as “very worrying and shameful,” according to Radio Universidad de Chile.

Around 500 people went to the embassy seeking the certificates, Antoine said, adding that “many people” expected to obtain them but were being rejected.

The certificates are required by Chile’s National Migration Service as part of the process to regularize the immigration status of Haitian nationals.

One protester told BioBioChile that Haitians were only seeking criminal record certificates from their country of origin and asked the embassy to clarify when they would be available.

Another person said Haitians had obtained their criminal record certificates in Chile but were struggling to obtain the required document from Haiti, according to BioBioChile.

Some Haitian nationals also alleged that they paid large sums for documents that were either invalid or never delivered.

Protesters said they paid up to 500,000 Chilean pesos ($540) for such documents, according to BioBioChile.