By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HUMAN rights activists Fred Smith and Joseph Darville have condemned the government’s newly revealed intention to require students of foreigners living in the Bahamas to have a school permit to attend classes.
Mr Mitchell made the announcement during the 2015 Bahamas Business Outlook Seminar Thursday last week when he noted that the policy will become effective in time for the start of the Fall school semester.
The reaction of the human rights activists came a day after the New York Times published a story on immigration restrictions in this country.
Mr Darville, the president of the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association, said in a statement yesterday that he is outraged by the new requirement.
“I am appalled at the new and most shameful depth to which Minister Mitchell has sunk with the announcement that he will target the most innocent and vulnerable among us,” he said.
“I spent many years as an educator, and two decades as a high school principal. I know better than most how damaging discrimination can be on the delicate mental and emotional life of a child. Every single student forced to ‘document’ themselves under Mitchell’s new plan will feel the stigma of difference and the sting of prejudice every day, in what is already a far too divided and cruel a society. But that travesty is nothing compared to the hundreds and eventual thousands of children he will drive away from an education and any chance at a decent life.
“Mitchell knows full well that thanks to his actions, anyone of questionable status will be forced to keep their children away from the classroom when the new school year opens in September. Those children – who, if they were born here, have a constitutional right to (apply to) be a Bahamian citizen when they turn 18, will be prevented from becoming a productive part of any society. He is taking away their chance of success and happiness. He is literally ruining their lives,” Mr Darville said.
“... I cry shame on Fred Mitchell and anyone else in government who is involved in this catastrophe.”
In addition, lawyer Fred Smith, the most vocal critic of the government’s immigration policy measures, said Mr Mitchell’s newly announced policy change is a “vile and cowardly tactic of seeking to deny children of the right to an education.”
He noted that a similar measure was tried in 1986 by a “failing Pindling administration.”
He said the “tactic” is unlawful, and violates the Bahamas’ Constitution and Education Act.
“As minster of immigration, he has absolutely no legal authority to interfere with public education,” he said. “The Act clearly states that all decision-making power is vested in the minister of education. In this regard, I call on Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald to urgently disclaim this absolute outrage of a policy, for all the world to see.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times article, titled ‘Immigration Rules in Bahamas Sweep up Haitians,’ highlighted the situation of people affected by the new immigration policy.
“Immigration officials in the Bahamas say their policies do not target any particular group, provide a better sense of who is living in their country, and could deter thousands of Haitian migrants from taking to the high seas each year in boats that often sink,” the article noted.
It featured a quote from Annette M Martinez Orabona, director of the Caribbean Institute for Human Rights, who said the policy is “guided by discriminatory practices toward persons of Haitian origin.”
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released Saturday said the article featured “misinformation.”
“The NYT article contains inaccuracies and tendentious material based in part on the exaggerated and unfounded accusations of civic activists.
“The government of The Bahamas respects the prevalence of the rule of law; it is not the policy of the government to violate the rights of any individual and at all material times this country will act in a manner consonant with its international obligations toward children and the stateless. We make no apology, however, for enforcing the laws and protecting its borders in the national interest and in the interests of the Bahamian people.”
Comments
bigbadbob 9 years, 7 months ago
soon we will require non bahamians to get a numbered arm tatoo and wear a little blue patch on there shirts. this sounds like germany during world war two.
ispeakthetruth 9 years, 7 months ago
...or perhaps a passport. Sounds like most modern, democratic countries to me.
Tarzan 9 years, 7 months ago
Facile perhaps Speakthetruth, but you know that those persons who were born here of immigrant parents (legal or not) cannot get a passport from their parents' country of origin. You can feel smug implying that this requirement is no big deal, but in effect it makes persons who under Bahamian law are entitled to Bahamian citizenship, into stateless outlaws, through no fault of their own. Hope you feel good supporting such a policy.
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
This all goes back to the fact that The Bahamas needs a balanced approach to immigration. What do we want our country to look like in the years to come.
Canada, for example gives university graduates the right to work in Canada for two years after they leave university. After the two years they can apply for residency and soon thereafter citizenship. So they want, and will have, a well educated population capable of good earnings, high tax payments to their Public Treasury and little burden on the Social Services.
The question is what do we want? Once we know, and only then, can we start putting the plan into effect.
This knee jerk stop gap foolishness does us no good and solves nothing.
Cas0072 9 years, 7 months ago
Even Canada is changing its immigration policy towards Haitians. Your comparison of the opportunities for foreign college students who enter Canada (or the US) legally for an education that they likely pay for, to 12 years of free education for illegal immigrant students is not a balanced comparison. Countries more established than The Bahamas are having to come up with new solutions to illegal immigration and quick. Call it knee jerk, but both short term and long term plans need to be put in place.
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
Any suggestions as to how we should proceed?
For example, the first thing is to improve how the Bahamas Defence Force interdicts the vessels coming out of Haiti. The object being to stem the flow of the largest source of illegal immigrants.
Secondly we may wish to set out a criteria for what various categories of immigrants would have to meet to either get a work permit, a residents permit, or citizenship.
These persons would then need to be registered with National Insurance.
Then there will be those who will have a limited time to repatriate themselves and others who we will deport to their respective countries.
The process must be transparent.
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
We may find Fred and his activists annoying, but it is because they remind that we as a country have, over the years, screwed up immigration. We have nobody to blame but ourselves for this mess.
Whist I understand generalcrazy's frustration, I would argue that we need to take it out on those who have created the mess and not Fred and his activists.
We need an Inquiry as to how we got here, who was responsible, what went wrong, and how do we fix it.
licks2 9 years, 7 months ago
Fred has moved past that "thin" line between sane and insane long time ago!! For a lawyer he sure does talk foolishness like a child!!! If we are so wrong. . .LET HIM TAKE HIS CASE BEFORE THE UNHRC. . .OAS OR EVEN AI. . .or even our court!!
TheMadHatter 9 years, 7 months ago
"Activists Slam New Immigration Move" says the article.
Well I hope Fred and Darville keep their "slammers" well oiled and fueled up, cause more moves on the way.
These two dingbats don't seem to realize that Haiti has declared WAR on the Bahamas. We are having to fight for our very survival. Haitians don't send money to Haiti (or what they do is returned to them when the sloops come back, by presenting their receipts) - instead Haiti sends money (via the sloops) to the Bahamas to support their troops on the ground. That's where the money for food and supplies comes from in large part.
If Fred & Darville would agree that for every Haitian or "Haitian-Bahamian" in this country we can grant a residency-with-right-to-work permanent permit to that same number of Australians AND that same number to any NATO nation citizen - so that we in the end have DOUBLE their number here - then I would support leaving the Haitians alone.
But, of course, they would not agree to that. Why? Because if we had that policy then Haitians would not be able to become the majority - and they would have fought to have Majority Rule Day on Jan 15th for nothing.
TheMadHatter
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
There is a big difference. Most of those countries kept track of their illegals, they didn't just sit back, do nothing and then wine and complain.
Those countries have much larger legal immigrant populations (on a percentage basis) than The Bahamas.
We need to stop the inflow from Haiti by getting our Defence Force boats at sea instead of being tied up and then legalize those that we should have dealt with over the years.
Unless we stop the inward flow, nothing we do will work.
avidreader 9 years, 7 months ago
Almost too little, too late. Many countries have problems with illegal immigrants and even with legal ones. YouTube is full of documentaries about Muslims in Europe, etc., wanting to change their host countries to suit their standards. Here where so many people and businesses have come to depend upon the labour pool supplied by immigration both legal and illegal, it will be very difficult to disengage from such dependence. However, when one recognizes that different cultures based upon a history and a language different from your own will tend to resist assimilation into the host country there is cause for concern. All the vacant land in the Bahamas should appear very tempting to persons from Haiti and from China for that matter. If nothing is done about the flood of immigration in a firm and organized manner there won't be a Bahamas to remember except as exhibits in some future museum.
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
Fred Mitchell is doing the right thing. Nowhere else in the world can children just mysteriously appear out of nowhere and walk into a public school.
Haitians cannot get free education in Haiti.
What makes Fred Smith think the Bahamas is obligated to provide free education to his people?
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
Amazing that Immigration did not make an investigation of the Government School records as they are a great place to start to see who is illegal.
Someone must come and pick them up from school. A polite friendly conversation would reveal much.
But that requires a real immigration policy - But after forty years we still have no idea of what we are doing.
But hey, "I am Bahamian", so anything I do is justified.
jackbnimble 9 years, 7 months ago
They need to dispense with all these policies and just make them law. Let's see how QC Fred will deal with it then.
Economist 9 years, 7 months ago
I think that you would find Mr. Smith would not be saying anything if we created a sensible policy and put it into the law of the land.
The problem is that we are a rudderless ship when it comes to immigration, and this leaves the Bahamas open to criticism. A criticism that is justified as we don't know what we are doing.
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