EDITOR, The Tribune.
I AM somewhat dismayed to have read and heard statements attributed to assorted cabinet ministers and a few from religious and civil societies lambasting Bahamians who dared to question the appropriateness of the response and offer of entry into The Bahamas by ‘some’ Dominican students who would have been adversely impacted by a series of recent hurricanes.
They called people like those, me included, unchristian like and accused us of a whole lot of other bogus adjectives.
In the main, I could care less because half or more of them never espoused or advocated any sort of immigration and citizenship relief for the tens of thousands of BAHAMIANS born to illegal Haitian migrants and immigrants.
This category of unfortunate individuals have been relegated to ‘limbo’ status, despite the clear provisions of our Independence Order (our Constitution), 1973 under those provisions, such persons once attaining age eighteen years are ‘entitled’ ‘to apply’ for citizenship or naturalization. This looks good on paper but in reality, it’s a whole different proposition.
It is due to this inordinate application process, which could take decades, our fellow Bahamians of illegal Haitian parents are consigned to living in our nation, often with no sort of legal status without official documents, and find it almost impossible to participate in the formal economy.
They are, literally, in no man’s land. It is a political phenomenon that from 1973 straight down to now, all of our politicians and not a single administration has seen fit to regularise this abject; inhumane and unconstitutional fiasco which some call ‘Christian’ while lamenting the plight of others outside our borders.
By all means, let us assist those nations that were decimated by recent hurricanes and other natural disasters but let us do the right thing by our Bahamian brothers and sisters, of our own household, but illegal Haitian parentage.
At least one cabinet minister has acknowledged that one of his parents was an illegal Haitian migrant (seeking a better way of life). One would think, therefore, that this group of persons would have a natural advocate in cabinet.
In addition, Christ like Jeffrey Lloyd (FNM-South Beach), Minister of Education and sometimes Acting Prime Minister, and, of course Dr Hubert ‘Crying’ Minnis (FNM-Killarney), our compassionate and Christian Prime Minister, must ‘know’ that Charity begins at home and, of course, could end abroad.
Is it possible, however, for us to give our children’s meat to others when we do not give the children them, none?
It should take no more than a few months to vet all relevant documents and to process bona fides applications. Citizenship should be granted to those actually born here.
Those who came over as children, a five years’ residency certificate, then a pathway to citizenship within the next five years.
These people, especially the ones born here are our people and it is their time also. To God then, in all things, be the glory.
ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr
Nassau,
October 9, 2017.
Comments
sheeprunner12 6 years, 11 months ago
DACA is under attack in the USA .......... should children or illegals be given citizenship????? ...... That in itself has broader issues ...... Make NO mistake, an illegal immigrant who comes to the country and bears a child in this country does not want that child to go back south ...... But why should Bahamians make a wrong right????? ....... and there is NO entitlement when one who comes here illegally has to apply for citizenship ............ If I apply for a job, (and I am unqualified) does it mean that I will get the job???? ......... Mercy may be extended, but it is NO entitlement.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 11 months ago
We need an immigration law that would respect the basic principle set out in the following Q&A:
Question: If my neighbor owns a fruit tree, and the branches hang over my property, can I eat the fruit?
Answer: No. The fruit of the tree belongs to the owner of the tree, so don't pick any of the fruit. [You can however trim back to your property line branches overhanging your property even if they bear fruit - you just can't pick and eat the fruit from those branches!]
Question: If an illegal migrant gives birth to a child in the Bahamas, and the illegal migrant mother has no official papers issued by her stated or obvious country of birth, must the Bahamas keep and bear the social welfare and other costs of either the illegal migrant mother or her child born in the Bahamas?
The correct answer should be: No. The child of the illegal migrant properly belongs to the country of birth of the mother, so the child should not be entitled to receive Bahamian citizenship simply because the child was born in the Bahamas. [Accordingly, both mother and child should be deported to the mother's country of birth.]
Our constitution should be amended (by national referendum) so that our country, with its limited land area and resources, need not recognize 'anchor children' of any kind, neither at birth nor at age 18. This is particularly important to protect our own national identity from the threat of illegal immigration posed by a nearby highly populated and severely impoverished country like Haiti.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 11 months ago
No one would deny that the U.S., unlike the Bahamas, is a vast country with enormous resources. The U.S. is therefore able to absorb and assimilate children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens. In fact, as most of us know, children born on U.S. governed soil are U.S. citizens from the time of their birth and most Americans are content that this entitlement granted by the U.S. Constitution does not jeopardize the U.S. economy or the American way of life. But the same cannot be said for children born in the Bahamas to illegal migrants, mainly because of our massive and still growing illegal migrant problem and the increasing numbers of children being born to them. Our society is being suffocated by the so called "anchor babies" who are entitled under our Constitution to be registered as Bahamian citizens within one year after attaining the age of 18. This entitlement must be removed from our constitution at the earliest possible time because we simply do not have the land area and resources sufficient to sustain these anchor babies without drastic consequences for our standard of living, national identity and Bahamian way of life. The horrendous effects of out-of-control 'illegal' immigration can be seen all around us today and the situation is getting much worse with each passing day.
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