Taranique Thurston
By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
SICK, stateless teen Taranique Thurston is still in limbo as her family struggles to secure funding to treat her life-threatening brain cyst.
Her mother, 34-year-old Ginette Caty, yesterday said the lack of funding has presented a roadblock to efforts to obtain an American travel visa.
The teen has secured funding to cover travel costs and an initial consultation at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital from a private donor; however, Ms Caty said she won’t know how much medical treatment will cost or how long her daughter will need to stay in the US until after that assessment.
Taranique celebrated her 16th birthday on Friday and was issued a certificate of identity earlier this month, which lists her nationality as Haitian.
However, it remains unclear whether she will be able to obtain a US visa for the document.
Taranique’s consultation at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital is slated for September 18 - a date that has been pushed back twice due to her inability to travel.
On Friday, Ms Caty said she was told by an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that she could not proceed with her visa application until she secured funding for airfare.
Up to press time, she said she had received no response to her calls to update the ministry.
A Cabinet statement earlier this month stated: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking into the provision of a certificate of identity for Taranique Thurston in accordance with established policy.” The statement also said it had made no offer or promise to pay the teen’s bills.
The ministry has not responded to requests for further details, nor has the Haitian Embassy.
Ms Caty was naturalised as a Bahamian citizen in 2013 - more than a decade after she had applied at the required age of 18. Taranique was born before her mother got her Bahamian citizenship, and is currently registered in the Bahamas as a non-Bahamian born to a foreign mother and Bahamian father, who are unmarried.
Despite the government’s designation of Taranique as Haitian, it is unclear whether she has any claim to Haitian citizenship.
According to the Haitian constitution (Article 11), “any person born of a Haitian father or Haitian mother who are themselves native-born Haitians and have never renounced their nationality possesses Haitian nationality at the time of birth.”
However, this entitlement is not extended to second or third generation descendants whose parents were not themselves native-born Haitians.
Ms Caty was reportedly born in the Bahamas to a Mexican mother and a Haitian father - and would have renounced any claim to Haitian citizenship when she was naturalised.
Comments
BahamaRed 6 years, 2 months ago
Back on this shiite... her mother has messed her up and now looking for assistance in fixing an issue that wouldn't have been an issue had the mom FOLLOWED THE LAW.
jackbnimble 6 years, 2 months ago
All this carrying on for "papers" (in a very misleading headline a few weeks back, I might add) and they don't even have the money to get the treatment. I mean, why fool the public into believing that you want to go for treatment but the Bahamas Government would not give you the proper papers to travel when clearly you don't even have the money, even with the darn papers!
realfreethinker 6 years, 2 months ago
She should call Fred Smith. He gat plenty money.
DDK 6 years, 2 months ago
What about MEXICO???
ohdrap4 6 years, 2 months ago
MEXICO DOES NOT GIVE AUTOMATIC CITIZENSHIP BY DESCENT.
KIND LIKE THE BAHAMAS.
birdiestrachan 6 years, 2 months ago
something is not right. At first it was the Bahamas Government problems with citizen ship. money was no problem. The Editorial page of the Tribune wrote the Government was sending signals the Government would pay.
What is this all about a plane to make the FNM Government look really bad?? The Drama King can pay what is stopping him?
birdiestrachan 6 years, 2 months ago
is the Cuban Father a new addition. Where is Mr. Thurston? The Drama King;s finger print is all over these news articles.stories
birdiestrachan 6 years, 2 months ago
Sorry the mother is Mexican and the Father is Hattian .
hallmark 6 years, 2 months ago
Taranique may be trapped in limbo, but it is not the fault of the Bahamas government. According to the story, they have insufficient funds and so the US Embassy is denying them a visa until the funds are secured. The writer should stop making it look as if this is a problem caused by the Bahamas Government.
bogart 6 years, 2 months ago
Actually it is the Bahamas Government that created the situation with the inadequate security measures to protect the borders....the registration of birth of mother to unmarried Bahamian father and Mexican mother and there are govt paperwork.....admittance in govt school systen and as the Government policy is to admit everyone without questions of nationality status of student and parents......and to give madated free Bahamian educaton from age 5 to 18 years....child knows of Bahamas ....little of Haiti....so noone should be put into this position......
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