The Tribune

A Tribune story detailing how Bahamas Immigration authorities made a couple’s vacation a “nightmare” has sparked a heated online debate, with readers flocking to tribune242.com to give their opinions.

Last week, Paul Donovan, an attorney from Boston, told The Tribune how his girlfriend, Jesika de Oliviera was traumatised by her ordeal on July 2 – when she was denied entry to the Bahamas and allegedly detained without cause at the Detention Centre.

But, after the story appeared on The Tribune website and some readers defended Immigration officers and questioned the reported events, Mr Donovan decided to tell his experience in even more detail, saying “the whole story is much worse”.

In Friday’s Tribune, Mr Donovan explained how he and Ms de Oliviera, a Brazilian, had made plans for a trip to Grand Bahama. He had been to the Bahamas before, but it was her first visit.

She arrived in Nassau from Natal, and was set to take a connecting flight to Freeport. Mr Donovan said his girlfriend was expected to arrive a day earlier than him in Grand Bahama, where he had rented a villa for them for a month.

But Ms de Oliviera, who was travelling with $300 of Brazilian currently, was detained at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

After being told by phone that Ms de Oliviera had been denied entry, was being detained and would be deported because she did not have sufficient money to support her stay, Mr Donovan arrived in Nassau the next morning.

He told The Tribune: “I pulled out $5,000 US and put them on Mr Gordon’s desk and asked him if that was enough money to release Jesika. I offered to show him the exact same documentation that Jesika had showed him regarding our stay and travel plans. Without looking up, he just waved his hand and told the other officer to get me out of his office.”

He then spoke to other Immigration officials before Ms de Olivier was released.

Many of those commenting online, such as ‘Blackcat’, had sympathy for the couple’s plight: “I have heard similar stories from others who have come to visit ... These officers are out of their minds. If what she is saying is true, there was no real warrant to why she was detained ... and even if there were, the whole experience and way they were treated leaves much to be desired. Would you want to be locked up in a Detention Centre with no food, water or private toilet? Would you want to be harassed?”

‘ChaosObserver’ also took the couple’s side: “Personally I hope these people sue the pants off the Bahamian officials ... they should lose their jobs (very, very doubtful for sure since all are related and no one wants to ‘rock the boat’ or hold people accountable for their actions).”

But others debated the fact that Ms de Oliveira only had Brazilian currency with her.

‘Ohdrap4’ said: “You come to spend a month with 300 dollars in foreign currency? Cannot even take a cab ride to the hotel. Brazilian currency is not internationally traded, cannot even find at the Miami Airport. The treatment may not have been courteous, but the officer who stopped her was right.”

‘Bo’ made this point: “The Immigration Officer was going by the law. That is what the law says ... and ... if she had a credit card or a debit card from Brazil, she could have shown the officer that she was able to take money out of the account. That can also be done when the officer has doubts as to the visitor’s financial situation in the country.”

Many questioned the wisdom of Mr Donovan pulling out $5,000 - and eventually the attorney himself joined the online debate to defend himself.

‘ThisIsOurs’ said: “Tourists are people, they are human, they have emotions just like every Bahamian. And they can act badly just as this man did when he tried to bribe the officer. Have you ever heard anyone being accused of ‘making the situation worse’?”

And ‘Generalcrazy’ had this to say: “Offering $5,000 to a government official to have someone released is as close to a bribe as it gets.”

But ‘Henny’ defended Mr Donovan: “He does not say he threw money on the table to bribe the officer. He put the money there to show that it didn’t matter if she only had $300, she is to be spending her time with him and he had money.”

Mr Donovan himself took to the comments section with a lengthy description of the steps he went through to secure Ms de Oliveira’s release. He noted that the Bahamas Immigration Act does not require anyone seeking entry to the country to have any currency on their person and said when he travels, he rarely carries more than $200 in his wallet: “I used credit or debit cards to pay for everything. Most everyone I know does the same. It’s 2014 not 1914.”

On the subject of the $5,000, Mr Donovan said he told an Immigration official he would be on the next flight to Nassau “with cash in hand as proof of funds for Jesika’s support”.

He added: “That is why I had the $5,000. When I arrived in Nassau I put the $5,000 on his desk as proof of support. Before he wouldn’t tell me how much money Jesika needed to have on her person. That’s why I asked if this was enough money to release her.

“The comments regarding an offer of a bribe are ridiculous. And anyone who suggests that I didn’t put the money on his desk the right way also doesn’t know what they are talking about. They were not there in Mr. Gordon’s office. I don’t know that there is a proper or improper way to show someone $5,000. I have never had to do it before.”

Despite the couple’s experience, Mr Donovan said the people of the Bahamas they met after leaving the airport have been “nothing short of wonderful”.

Mr Donovan’s response in full, and other readers’ comments can be found HERE.

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.