It seems the gambit at the border not only was a massive failure but resulted in a major public relations scandal The reputation of many civil servants of the PRM is now tarnished and the image of Abinader as a slave driver now dominates the Dominican social media space. Not only is the practice of forced labor on the island now news headlines worldwide, a political debate has fired up once again over the harsh treatment of Haitian refugees. While racial tensions of course are still high, most of the country is apalled at the practice, understanding that the Dominican Republic must expedite the process to naturalization and the provision of equality and opportunity of employment with dignity. Concerns in regards to the DR's complicity in the mistreatment of Haitians especially during the Trujillo era have been unearthed as the country grapples with these revelations.

To save his reputation after this stunt, President Abinader has publically expressed his distaste for the practice of forced labor and vowed to crack down on the "human trafficking" trade ocurring at the border and was outraged at the recent revelations of members of the PRM, many of whom are linked to Dominican agribusiness interests, knew and promoted the practice which forced thousands of Haitian immigrants to work in factories and farms for zero compensation. While on closed doors, leaders of the agribusiness industry were consulted about how to deal with this public relations hit, members of the opposition in Congress submitted a motion to approve a investigatory commission on economic exploitation of immigrants.

While of course, cracking down on the use of immigrant labor is a fool's errand. Action must be taken to at least address some of the problems facing Haitian immigrants currently in the Dominican Republic. At least until border security is reestablished we will continue to be receiving Haitian immigrants. Political pressure is building however towards a reckoning with the Dominican Republic's treatment of Haitian Dominicans as many politicans see Law 169-14 as a especially heinous case and responsible for the desperation and impoverishment of Haitian Dominicans.