By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
MARCO City MP Gregory Moss said yesterday that the execution of the government’s new immigration policy was “nonsensical” and a distraction from important national issues.
Mr Moss renewed concerns over the need for a clear distinction between two tiers of illegal migrants – recent arrivals and persons who have already been integrated into Bahamian society.
He said that the descendants of foreign nationals living in The Bahamas for long periods of time were entitled to various legal rights, and to some extent a moral claim, regardless of the legality of their entry.
“We need to draw a clear distinction between recent arrivals,” he said, “people who should be immediately deported, after due process of course, on one hand and persons who have a connection with our community. They would have started off by an illegal entry or overstaying but nonetheless have been integrated into our communities.”
Mr Moss added: “Their children have been born here, they have been here for some time. They have on various levels legal rights, and also moral claims upon us. To simply say that they cannot prove that they have their own national paper from their country of origin or their parents’ country of origin, and that they don’t have some permission from us to be here, that we are going to deport en masse, is just absolutely nonsensical.”
Since it was implemented on November 1, the government’s new immigration policy has received local and international criticism over its broad application and impact on the country’s large population of undocumented persons of Haitian descent.
All persons living in The Bahamas are required to have a passport of their nationality with proof to legally reside and work here. Certificates of identity issued to people born to foreign parents legally residing in The Bahamas will not be renewed. Instead they will need a passport of their nationality with a residency stamp from The Bahamas.
Last year, the government deported 5,314 migrants for the period of January 1 to November 30. Haitian nationals represented 84 per cent of that figure with a total of 4,476 persons apprehended on land and at sea, according to the Department of Immigration.
Yesterday, Mr Moss said: “There is no way that this country can or should deport the 40,000 to 60,000 illegal persons that we have here.”
He added: “We should be talking about regularising, integrating, removing some of the frustration that has built up from the lack of status in the only country you know, and then as a community agreeing to close our borders to other people.”
Mr Moss said he did not want to characterise the political intentions behind the current policy approach; however, he noted that the initiatives were distracting the pubic from important national issues.
“I don’t want to characterise for other people what their incentives might be in pursuing the policy approaches that they are pursuing,” he said, “but I can say to my mind that whether it is intentional or not those policy approaches are distracting us from important national issues.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 9 years, 11 months ago
Mr. Moss's political life is over. There is no Party that will have him , so he can run on with as much foolishness as he wishes. it is all over for him and he knows it. What he is saying is that if persons come to the Bahamas illegally, at some point they should be made legal. Mr. Moss with a policy like that where does it end.?
CatIslandBoy 9 years, 11 months ago
Mr. Moss, you are redeeming yourself in my eyes. After the NIB debacle I had written you off, however you are making a lot of sense these days. The mere fact that the PLP may not welcome you in their midst, indicates that you are definitely in the right tract.
duppyVAT 9 years, 11 months ago
Please define a "recent arrival" ........... an illegal immigrant who was here for 5, 10, 20 or 40 years????? Circle the correct answer Mr. Moss.
TheMadHatter 9 years, 11 months ago
Go ahead Mr. Moss. Open the doors. Let them all in. Let's let in one million from Haiti (which has 12 million), a million from Nigeria, a million from Philippines, a million from China, a million from Uganda, a million from Jamaica, and another million from Honduras.
Good plan.
Better start importing damaged wood from all the hardware stores in Florida, so they can have enough to build shanty towns with - cause our hardwares don't throw out that much every week.
Oh, and don't forget the diapers.
TheMadHatter
jamaicaproud 9 years, 11 months ago
At the rate the Bahamas is going, you all will soon be floating down to Haiti on wooden logs. So keep my countries name out of your mouth. What is there in the Bahamas that would make 1 million Jamaicans want to go there?
Economist 9 years, 11 months ago
Well said Mr. Moss. You are advising that we follow a planned well thought out way of dealing with immigration; a plan that would be supported by other nations; one that follows the Rule of Law. All countries need some sort of immigration. The industrialized world has done so for hundreds of years. You are not suggesting that we keep everyone, by any means. Nor are you suggesting Citizenship. Those who have been here for 10 or 20 years should be regularized. The Country would then be in a position to deal with others who are economic refugees, just a China sends back North Koreans. We need a clearly defined process, this rounding up of people is unlawful and puts The Bahamas in a bad light. We want inward investment and that investment must see a well organized country or, as is now the case, it won't come.
avidreader 9 years, 11 months ago
In response to "Jamaicaproud" I will reply that there must be something good here since many of his/her countrymen have found jobs here over the past many years. That said, our currency will very likely go the way of the Jamaican dollar after Manley tried and failed to make everyone equal. We may well have to take to log rafts but it will not be in the direction of Haiti. Don't worry, be happy.
duppyVAT 9 years, 11 months ago
Jamaica has a lot to be proud of ........................... drugs, crime, rastas and dancehall ............. plus bammy and callaloo
jamaicaproud 9 years, 11 months ago
Ok, DuppyVAT. Lets balance the equation. Bahamas Drugs=Yes, the whole economy was built on the drug trade.. Bahamas, Crime=Yes. In an alleged prosperous nation youn cruffs killing off each other while you have to import labour. Bahamas, l lHmmmm You guys need government assistance to put on Jonkunoo. As for Bammy and Callaloo we can never starve regardless of what is happening on the ground.
You sound Jamaican so chill
jamaicaproud 9 years, 11 months ago
Listen bro/sis, my point is this. We are all mostly Negroes stranded in the Caribbean Sea. Do not get too hype or excited because you guys had a run of "prosperity". Any country that has so called prosperity and has young men shooting and killing each other while foreigners have to be recruited for common jobs will self destruct. Don't worry, there is something good there, the Dollar. Link me and I will send you to school over Manley
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