Page 12 - Aruba Today

A12
WORLD NEWSTuesday 26 January 2016
Dominican economy lures Puerto Ricans in crisis
DANICA COTO
EZEQUIEL LOPEZ
Associated Press
SANTO DOMINGO, Domini-
can Republic (AP) — Car-
los Gonzalez already had
noticed the growing num-
ber of empty chairs and
increasingly quiet slot ma-
chines at the Puerto Rico
casino where he worked as
he mulled a job offer in the
Dominican Republic.
It was 2013, and Puerto
Rico’s economy had been
in a downward slide for
nearly a decade. Gonzalez
didn’t know it at the time,
but the once-popular ca-
sino where he worked as a
marketing manager would
soon close.
He thought of his family
and friends and the rea-
sons he moved back to
Puerto Rico in the first place The majority of Puerto Ri-
after spending more than
20 years in New Jersey. It
took him several months to
make a decision — “It’s not
easy to leave your land,”
the Puerto Rico native said
— but he finally did.
“I never imagined it. Nev-
er!” Gonzalez said with a
laugh. “I even asked myself
2,000 times whether I really
was moving to the Domini-
can Republic. I told myself
it was crazy.”
The flow of migrants through
the 80 miles (130 kilometers)
of churning waters that
separate Puerto Rico and
the Dominican Republic
has typically moved in one
direction for more than half
a century: toward the U.S.
territory. But the island’s
deep economic crisis is re-
versing this trend, with a
growing number of finan-
cially strapped Puerto Ri-
cans moving to the neigh-
boring Caribbean country
to open businesses and
escape economic chaos
that has scared away even
many Dominican migrants.
Officials say it’s hard to
quantify exactly how many

Puerto Ricans have moved gest in the Latin American rate and a $72 billion pub- “What’s surprising about
to the Dominican Republic and Caribbean region. The lic debt load the governor this trend is that up until
in recent years because government has credited has said is unpayable and now, the migration had
they fall under the general vigorous performances in needs restructuring. About been from the Dominican
category of U.S. citizens, banking, construction and a third of people born in Republic to Puerto Rico,
but they say the trend is un- tourism, noting that a re- Puerto Rico now live on the and the main motive was
deniable. cord 5.6 million tourists visit- U.S. mainland, seeking to a difference in salary and
“It used to be extremely ed the Dominican Republic escape tax increases, high- more jobs,” said Jorge
rare for a Puerto Rican to last year. er utility bills and dwindling Duany, an anthropology
stop by and seek a work There’s also been a big job opportunities. professor at Florida Inter-
national University who has
Workers measure luggage size as passengers wait to board a ferry headed for the Dominican long studied migration pat-
Republic, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A growing number of financially strapped Puerto Ricans are terns between the two.
moving to the neighboring Caribbean country to open businesses and escape economic chaos In the early 1900s, Puerto
that has scared away even many Dominican migrants. Ricans were moving to the
Dominican Republic to
(AP Photo/Danica Coto) work in the country’s thriv-
ing sugar industry until the
visa,” said Franklin Grullon, increase in Puerto Rican “Puerto Rico became very, Great Depression hit. Then
the Dominican consul in professionals such as ar- very difficult for the casino Dominican migrants began
the Puerto Rican capital of chitects and engineers sector,” the 48-year-old moving to Puerto Rico in
San Juan. “There’s been a traveling to the Dominican Gonzalez said. “I left just in the 1960s and 70s because
surge in all types of visas, Republic to work because time. ... All my friends tell of the island’s booming
and we believe this flow will of that country’s booming me that the best thing I did industrial sector. Roughly
only increase.” construction sector, said was to leave, that Puerto 200,000 Dominicans are
German Monroig, execu- Rico’s situation is crazy.” now estimated to live in the
cans seeking business visas tive director of the office of Puerto Ricans aren’t the U.S. territory, though there
are young to middle-aged Puerto Rican affairs. only ones leaving. are no precise figures be-
men, and many request “There’s been a consider- Grullon said Dominicans cause many live on the is-
permission to work in the able change in the last two are increasingly moving land illegally.
tourism sector because years,” he said. back to their country, and Now, it’s the lure of more
they speak English and find It’s hard for Puerto Rican he noted that the flow of jobs and a powerful econ-
it easy to get a job, Grul- professionals to find steady Dominicans entering the omy in the Dominican Re-
lon said. They are drawn by jobs given the island’s U.S. territory illegally also public that is attracting
the Dominican Republic’s economy, which has stag- has decreased dramati- Puerto Ricans, including
robust economy, which nated for nine years as the cally: The U.S. Coast Guard 51-year-old Francisco Per-
grew 7 percent in 2015 for U.S. territory of 3.5 million detained 1,565 Dominicans ez.
the second consecutive people struggles with a 12 in 2004, compared with 133 He worked more than 20
year, making it the stron- percent unemployment in 2014. years for an insurance com-
pany in Puerto Rico, but
began to see his income
shrink as car sales on the
island plummeted. When a
job opportunity presented
itself in late 2014 to work for
a Puerto Rican company
in the Dominican Republic
that paid in U.S. dollars, he
took it.
“I told myself I had to do
what I had to do given the
importance I have as my
family’s provider,” said the
father of four. “When I got
here and saw that it was
like Puerto Rico back in the
90s, that the economy was
doing well, I stayed. I know
there are a lot of Puerto Ri-
cans looking over this way
to grow their businesses.”q