http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63501436/
在多明尼加的海地人
長久以來被當地人視為二等公民
現在有個大麻煩降臨在他們身上
多明尼加政府決定清算透過非法移民而來的海地人
即便是出生於多明尼加的海地裔也無法倖免
海地越境過來的民眾將不被推定具多明尼加公民資格
對棒球人的影響在於美國對海地籍的簽證審查
相較於多明尼加籍的
會做較嚴苛的審查
所以，現在海地來的棒球人頭大了？
Several years ago, while on a reporting trip in the Dominican Republic, I met
a young coach named Chi Chi Franklin, who had spent a few years playing
professionally, but like so many others, had been cast away because he simply
had not been good enough.
It was no indictment on Franklin. Each year, roughly 500 players are signed
to professional contracts in the Dominican, and certainly not all of them
will make it to play in the minors in the United States, much less make it to
the majors. Franklin was one of those. In order to make a living he had
latched on as a coach for a private baseball academy that trained prospects
for the purpose of signing professional contracts.
Franklin had a typical backstory. He had come from poverty. His parents had
made a living by selling food and trinkets at a beach. The money he received
from his professional contract had helped transform the financial fortunes of
his family, but it certainly was not enough to keep him from having to ever
work again after his baseball career had flamed out.
As we talked about his background, we were interrupted by one of the young
players Franklin was coaching, who said, 'Why don't you tell him you're
Haitian?"
The player laughed, and Franklin sheepishly looked toward the ground in
embarrassment. Although Franklin was a good coach, who worked well with
players, and was well liked, he could never escape the fact that his Haitian
heritage made him somewhat of an outcast. Even though the younger players
respected him, it didn't change the fact that he came from a segment of
people commonly ostracized in the country.
Franklin didn't deny his Haitian background, and in fact he was quite proud
of who he was and where he came from, but telling someone that you're Haitian
isn't something you commonly do because you never know how people will react.
As one Dominican trainer once told me when we talked politics, "You know, we
have it pretty bad here in the Dominican, but at least we're not Haiti."
The relationship between the Dominican and Haiti has always, to put it
mildly, been complicated, and perhaps never more than now. For the most part,
Dominicans regard Haitians, many of whom emigrated to work in the country's
sugar cane mills, as second class citizens. Now there is legal backing to
that opinion.
On Sept. 23 the Dominican's top court ruled that children of undocumented
Haitian immigrants, regardless of whether they had been born in the
Dominican, were no longer going to be considered Dominican citizens. Based on
the recent census, more than 200,000 could be affected.
Baseball in the Dominican is likely to be affected in some way. The most
obvious impact would be on those playing major and minor league baseball who
could lose their Dominican citizenship as a result of this new ruling, and
could have difficulties renewing or acquiring a visa to play in the United
States.
"In general, anyone applying for a U.S. visa must present at the time of
his/her interview a valid government-passport that certifies the identity and
nationality of its holder for the purpose of international travel," Jeremiah
Knight, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, wrote in an email.
"Requirements for obtaining passports are governed by domestic laws and
regulations of individual sovereign nations."
Already, reports have surfaced that several children of Haitian immigrants
have had problems renewing their passports because their birth certificates
have been rejected by the Dominican government. A valid passport, as Knight
noted, is imperative for obtaining a visa.
Knight declined to comment on how the new statute could affect visas for
coming into the United States. For the most part, nobody is quite sure how
this process will play out. Several requests for comment to Major League
Baseball, and to several MLB employees based in the Dominican Republic, were
not returned. It's likely they aren't sure either how the U.S. Embassy will
rule on some of these players. Right now, it's not an issue. But that could
change towards the end of the year when teams try to sort out a player's
paperwork for next season.
While it's unlikely that established major league players could lose their
status, thereby subjecting the Dominican government to a public relations
nightmare, many lesser known minor league players might not be so lucky.
These anonymous players could be sacrificed in order for the government to
show that they are taking this ruling seriously.
An alternative would be for some players to apply for Haitian citizenship,
but that also carries some complications. Haiti's current immigration system
is cluttered and could result in long delays, although perhaps some of these
cases could be expedited with a nudge from MLB or a sponsoring team.
Also, this decision would result in these Dominican-born players having to
renounce the country of their birth. Perhaps under the threat of losing their
baseball careers this decision seems easy. But it's a life-changing option
that could have repercussions later in life when a player's career ends and
they try to establish themselves back in the Dominican.
The most affected would likely be unsigned amateur prospects. These players
still need to establish their identity with MLB's office in the Dominican and
with the U.S. Embassy. Their current paperwork