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On the 1st of November, the Bahamas will be tightening its immigration controls, a move fueled mostly by the massive wave of Haitian illegal immigrants that have swarmed the country. About two weeks ago the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Immigration, Frederick Mitchell, gave a 13 minutes and some seconds speech at the United Nations that focused on the three main threats that currently threatens the Bahamas, illegal immigration being one of them.
According to him, the massive number of illegals in the Bahamas are draining the public resources, are a threat to the Bahamas national security, and threatens their national identity and their social stability. He mentions the migration problem at various points in his speech.
Despite that the Bahamas has illegal immigrants from various countries, Haitians outnumber all others by a large margin and this explains why the recent changes in the Bahamian government are seen as targeting Haitians or motivated due to the increasing illegal immigration from Haiti.
Excerpts from some recent articles about this problem:
Quote:
Bahamas strikes tough tone on immigration at UN
Frederick Mitchell struck a tough tone during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly, less than two weeks after his government announced a measure making it harder for migrants to work in the island chain.
The Caribbean country is considering additional restrictions as part of a plan that appears mostly aimed at large numbers of Haitians who have settled there.
Mitchell said controlling illegal immigration in the Bahamas is “central to our survivability as a country, central to our national identity and central to our national security,” he said.
“We have only to see today how it drains our financial resources, and we do not have to look far to see how unchecked immigration in other countries has been a recipe for civil strife within their borders.
“We do not intend for that to happen to us,” Mitchell said.
The electorate pleaded with every administration for four decades, to implement measures to protect the Bahamas and Bahamians from the enduring illegal Haitian migrant invasion without resolution.
This lack of action has lead to total mistrust and feelings of betrayal in those elected based on promises to the citizenry of the Bahamas.
General consensus of Bahamians today is, we are about to cross the point of no return with illegal Haitian migration, as their prevalence in our society strongly indicates their numbers are equal to, if not greater than ours with 10.5 Million more Haitians at the ready to risk life and limb to get here.
Bahamas pursuing xenophobic policies against Haitians, expert says
New immigration rules to go into effect in the Bahamas on Nov. 1 are "clearly xenophobic" because they further marginalize the Haitian population living there, according to U.S. anthropology professor Bertin Louis.
The archipelago, which gained independence from Britain in 1973, "has historically promoted a xenophobic policy" toward foreigners and Haitians in particular, the expert of Haitian descent told Efe Friday in an interview.
Under the new immigration laws, the Bahamian government will no longer accept applications for work visas by persons residing in the country illegally.
"We will not accept applications for people who do not have legal status in the Bahamas to work and anyone who comes to do so ... will be arrested, charged and deported," Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Frederick Mitchell said in mid-September.
Bahamas denies stateless people from Haiti residing in the country
The Bahamas government has denied reports that there are stateless people of Haitian descent in the country.
Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said the Perry Christie government was aware of media reports attributed to the Haitian President Michel Martelly on the matter. Martelly paid a one-day visit to the Bahamas earlier this week where he signed a number of bilateral agreements with Nassau.
“As The Bahamas government understands the law of Haiti, the child of a Haitian born anywhere is Haitian at birth. This would mean therefore that the children of Haitian parents born in The Bahamas are not stateless and our law requires those persons to obtain a Haitian passport and a residence permit since at birth they are not Bahamian,” Mitchell said in a statement.
Bahamas and Haiti: Treatment of Haitians in the Bahamas
In its 2011 annual report, Amnesty International (AI) stated that [AI English version "[t]here were concerns about the treatment of Haitian migrants" in the Bahamas (2012). According to a report on global statelessness published by Refugees International, Haitians in the Bahamas face "widespread" social and economic problems, and are "constantly in fear of being detained or deported" (Southwick and Lynch Mar. 2009, 32). Moreover, the United States Department of State noted that the Haitian community is characterized by high poverty and unemployment rates, low educational achievement and poor health conditions, and that Haitians "generally had difficulty in securing citizenship, residence, or work permits" (U.S. 8 Apr. 2011, Sec. 6). In the Bahamas, some employers abuse their Haitian workers; local sources reported that "labor exploitation of undocumented Haitians could be widespread" and some immigrants may fall victim to "involuntary servitude" (ibid., Sec. 7.c). Also, migrant workers do not seem to be protected under local labour laws (ibid..). Employers also reportedly confiscate workers' identity documents and threaten them with arrest and deportation in order to coerce them into working long hours for no pay or pay below the minimum wage (ibid.). The MRG also indicated that members of the Haitian community complain of "discrimination" in the labour market, and that employers use threats of deportation as leverage against Haitians workers (2008).
Why do you think that this issue, considering that the Bahamas is the third closest country to the USA after Canada and Mexico, is hardly known in the USA?
They don't like Jamaicans either. Its just that there are fewer of them in The Bahamas. Its a small society and therefore not able to absorb large numbers of impoverished people.
Cubans arriving in that nation are swiftly sent back to Cuba, despite the rants of the Miami Cuban exile community.
This has been going on for years. I think DR and USA treats Haitian immigrants better and provides more opportunities for overseas Haitians than other Caribbean islands
This has been going on for years. I think DR and USA treats Haitian immigrants better and provides more opportunities for overseas Haitians than other Caribbean islands
That only makes sense.
I mean, how would the Bahamas 'create opportunities' for Haitians, when they can barely 'create opportunities' for their own locals.
You have somewhat of a point to an extent though; the point I was going into was that USA, DR, and France and every other nation seem to treat Haitians better.
Also I wonder why Haitians continue to immigrate to nations where they are not welcome. Even Haitians that complain of mistreatment, why continue to leave if Haiti is the best?
Also I wonder why Haitians continue to immigrate to nations where they are not welcome. Even Haitians that complain of mistreatment, why continue to leave if Haiti is the best?
Maybe because that assumption that they believe Haiti to be the best, is a wrong assumption.
I think it's normal for people to like where they are from, and the culture they were raised in. But it doesn't mean that everything is perfect economically for them to stay in that location throughout their entire lives. People leave their point of origin for all types of reasons.
Maybe because that assumption that they believe Haiti to be the best, is a wrong assumption.
I think it's normal for people to like where they are from, and the culture they were raised in. But it doesn't mean that everything is perfect economically for them to stay in that location throughout their entire lives. People leave their point of origin for all types of reasons.
Why now? There has always been an influx of Haitians to the Bahamas. In fact, a lot of migrants from other Caribbean countries use Bahamas as a middle passage.
Why now? There has always been an influx of Haitians to the Bahamas. In fact, a lot of migrants from other Caribbean countries use Bahamas as a middle passage.
It's probably an economic strategy to benefit the nation. It was only a matter of time and this has been an ongoing issue for several decades now.
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