Haitian Onguió Pión flees imagined migration helicopter in Tamayo, DR

Onguió Pión, a Haitian migrant who arrived in the Dominican Republic as a child, lives in the sugar‑cane region of Tamayo. One morning he heard the roar of what he believed to be a “migration helicopter” flying over his makeshift home. Convinced officials were trying to force his return to Haiti, he grabbed a machete, ran through the fields, and shouted repeatedly, “¡El helicóptero, el helicóptero!”.

Pión recalled that helicopters had previously flown over the area during September 1998, when Hurricane Georges caused severe flooding and landslides. Government aircraft then coordinated relief efforts for Tamayo and surrounding towns, helping the community rebuild its banana plantations and other economic activities. The story highlights the continued presence of Haitian workers in bateyes linked to the Barahona sugar mill and their lingering fears of migration enforcement.