The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THERE needs to be a humane approach when dealing with irregular migrants living in communities, according to a US candidate for director general of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Amy Pope, candidate for director general and current deputy director general at IOM spoke about the troubled state of Haiti.

During the sit-down interview at Baha Mar, Mrs Pope stressed the urgency for there to be an international response to Haiti’s instability, as she described migration in the Caribbean being at an “unprecedented” level and a “surge”.

“Ultimately, given what’s happening in Haiti it has to be an international response to help provide alternatives. Until the government is stable and people can find a stable way of living there.

“One thing we see about migration, it’s never just one country, it needs to be multiple countries working together to provide a solution,” Mrs Pope said.

She added migrants are not just coming from Haiti, but throughout the Americas as well.

Both The Bahamas and the United States have recently faced an influx of irregular migrants, especially from Haiti.

On February 10, the Supreme Court ruled that demolition of shanty town properties and evictions of residents can resume after a judge lifted a previous injunction when residents failed to prove such actions would be unlawful.

When asked what approach The Bahamas government should take in the demolition process, Mrs Pope said a humane one.

She said: “My approach is to focus on the people and what will impact people. So, if you look at any community, you need to understand what their specific needs are. What do they need to provide housing, what will keep them from living on the streets? What will keep them from becoming burdens to society or otherwise ensure that we’re respecting their human dignity?”

She pointed out many migrants are mothers, children, and people who have real lives just like everyone else.

She said it’s not in a government’s interest to have homeless migrants on the streets, adding there needs to be sustainable resources put in place.

“The goal is really to create ways for migrants, so that they’re not just a burden on the system, but to ensure that there is support. The Bahamians are providing hospitality so, to ensure that the Bahamian communities have what they need to provide that hospitality.”

In terms of the support IOM is able to provide The Bahamas in addressing the country’s immigration crisis Mrs Pope said the organisation is here to support and respond to pressures the government is facing in areas such as migration policy, impacted communities, border management, and to provide technical expertise.

Additionally, the official expressed gratitude to be in the country during CARICOM.

One of the issues she said she would like to discuss is the impact of climate change in the region, suggesting there needs to be more preparation.

“The impact of climate change on human mobility, especially in this region. There’s no question that’s going to be a major factor. So, the more that we can start to prepare, adapt, mitigate, plan for the impact that it will have on people throughout the community. I think the better off we will be,” she said.

Mrs Pope mentioned the devastation hurricanes have caused to many people throughout the region by destroying homes or even livelihoods.

She continued: “Think about the hurricanes coming through, it destroys people’s homes, it destroys their livelihoods. For many people, they have no other options.

“The second you think about rising sea levels, people’s homes are going to be disappearing, their way of living is going to be eradicated.

“So, when people don’t have a home to go back to and they don’t have a job to do, it creates one conflict over scarce resources, but it also creates drive for migration. So, we need to be thinking ahead of time, how can we build resilience here in the Caribbean.”