By SYANN THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
sthompson@tribunemedia.net
OPERATION Sovereign Bahamas protested outside of the Haitian Embassy on Shirley Street Friday, demanding their officials cooperate with The Bahamas government in dealing with their citizens.
Founder of Operation Sovereign Bahamas, Adrian Francis and scores of supporters of the organisation marched in front of the Haitian Embassy as they delivered a letter to that office demanding that they cooperate with government and also outlined issues concerning their illegal nationals in The Bahamas.
“We delivered a letter to the Haitian Embassy today, that letter spoke directly to some of the things that has been happening here in our country, some of the churches that have been harbouring illegal and undocumented migrants. What we’ve done today is we’ve sent a message to the Haitian Embassy that we are going to need you guys to cooperate with the government of The Bahamas and the people of The Bahamas and that enough is enough,” said Mr Francis.
Francis accused the Haitian Embassy of not having the decency to contribute to the Hurricane Dorian efforts especially with their citizens being affected. He also argued that as issues with illegal immigrants becomes pressing not enough is being done to address these matters. “We have to punch the nation where it hurts the most and obviously our government refuses to respond to some of the things that concern Bahamian people. The Haitian government is not doing anything to respond to Hurricane Dorian, not even a dollar and they’re just taking, taking from us. 60 million dollars in remittances leave this country every year, Haiti raises 2.3 billion dollars from remittances and 60 million comes from us, 25 percent of the Bahamian population is from Haiti. We are disappointed with the response of the government,” he said.
The group held placards that read, “Haitians get free land in The Bahamas, our people cannot afford land”, and “Applications for citizenship should only be made by legals”. In November, Operation Sovereign Bahamas protested in front of the Kendal GL Isaacs gymnasium demanding that illegal migrants leave.
While storm victims will be allowed to stay at the gymnasium over the holidays, Francis says that The Bahamas has had its fair share of enduring the illegal immigration problem. The former talk show host believes that cleaning up the immigration issue can assist in making The Bahamas a better place for the diaspora to return to. “We have done our share, we are flying two flags in our country. We need right now for the Bahamian people to know that they have to enjoy their country. Our mandate is very simple to create a Bahamas that Bahamians will begin to enjoy and a nation where the diaspora can return home to. We have to create a nation where Bahamians can begin to enjoy and one where those who are scattered abroad can come back to. The Bahamians; they’re not enjoying our country, there are people who are going to school and not even coming back,” said Francis.
When contacted, officials of the Haitian Embassy confirmed that they received the letter, but have not yet read its contents.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Haitian immigrants complained about their treatment that made international news placing the spotlight on The Bahamas which also prompted the United Nations to respond. Meanwhile, the government has already conducted several repatriations of hundreds of illegal immigrants in the last two months.
Comments
jamaicaproud 4 years, 10 months ago
Concern noted, but even if they deport every Haitian including yourself, you won't be happy. You àught to be shamed of yourself if a Bahamian would rather employ a Kreyol speaking Haitian than you.
mandela 4 years, 10 months ago
Keep up the pressure and awareness Mr. Francis all may not agree with you and OSB, but some will 75%
sheeprunner12 4 years, 10 months ago
Adrian Francis will soon be silenced ......... too much at stake for those who benefit from the misery of the Bahamian poor and the immigrants in this country ........ Mark my words
TheMadHatter 4 years, 10 months ago
That is certain. Im surprised all of them weren't arrested for speaking badly about the true citizens of this country. Perhaps there weren't enough fish bags. China will probably send us some more riot control gear to deal with these unruly former Bahamians.
concerned799 4 years, 10 months ago
Lets say there were no more Hatians in the Bahamas. If the approach is "blame each other" rather than work with everyone to solve problems, what happens then? People just look for a new enemy to single out an blame whom then would have to be one sub group of Bahamians. This is a path to division and can reach no good objective.
How many fundamental problems have all the agressive deporations solved since they started a few years back? ZERO. Is VAT lower? NOPE. Is the debt lower? NOPE.
TheMadHatter 4 years, 10 months ago
That's because they haven't been deported. Maybe 5% of the inflow has been returned. You must be blind or have never been near a shanty town, or never seen a Haitian woman walking along the road with her 7 children in one year steps one behind the other, and one in the oven. You must have never visited a public school or a public health facility. You must have never known a Bahamian woman who attempted to give birth in a PMH hallway. Where are you from? Where are you now? Do you live in New Zealand? Or are you from one of those idiotic UN Agencies? You can be sure that if this man is arrested or his followers or any of them are attacked and killed by a machete wielding mob - NOT ONE WORD will emanate from any UN Agency about the event. He could be put in prison forever without trial and nothing would ever be said about it. The US will still continue to allow Bahamians to travel freely to the USA, - nobody will stand up for Bahamians. Nobody. We are the lowest dogs on this planet.
TheMadHatter 4 years, 10 months ago
Why do they come here to have 7 children and live in poverty? They can do that in Haiti. Remember the man after Hurricane Mathew in Nassau who complained about his house being destroyed and now him and his NINE children have nowhere to live. NINE CHILDREN. NINE CHILDREN IN A SHANTY TOWN? Is this reality? Nobody cares about the lives of those 9 children? Why don't we take ALL Bahamian children and let them live in squalor too? It must be the right way to grown up children. Shut down social services completely. Don't give anybody any money. We don't need it. Just live worse than dogs and be happy. Our new reality.
SP 4 years, 10 months ago
FINALLY. This is the best news for the year. I don't know who Mr. Adrian Francis is, but he has my 100% support!
Bahamians have to be the most long-suffering and giving people in the world to have allowed successive governments to facilitate illegal Haitians migrating to the Bahamas and disenfranchise them of jobs, education, business opportunities, health care, social services, security, and only GOD himself knows what else.
Illegal Haitian migrants have had free reign to destroy our country and are quickly dragging us down to Haiti status. Illegals are worse than parasites and legal Haitians are enablers.
I would love to help, contribute, and join Operation Sovereign Bahamas!
Someone needs to ask Mr. Adrian Francis to post his contacts here so interested Bahamians can become involved.
TheMadHatter 4 years, 10 months ago
He does not have a facebook page or website. I am contacting him and you can look for a facebook page in the near future.
TheMadHatter 4 years, 10 months ago
Just wait and see who gets all the free land the PM announced Wed night after the confidence vote. Wait and see. Bahamians been begging for some of Her Majesty's land for decades. You will see who gets it instead. Treasure Cay shanty going strong.
BahamaPundit 4 years, 10 months ago
I cannot vote again, until the leaders of this country STOP being the enemies of its citizens. How can I vote for my enemy? How can I vote for someone who spends their time finding ways to steal from me and spends NO time becoming transparent and non corrupt. Without the Freedom of Information Act or Campaign Finance Reform, there is no real "Government" of the Bahamas, only robbers and thieves in high places.
joeblow 4 years, 10 months ago
The offer of a senate seat (or its equivalent) usually takes care of these matters! I can't wait to hear what Rights Bahamas has to say about this!
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 10 months ago
Minnis is the problem - period!
This royal arse of an incompetent PM suffers from the very debilitating Saviour Complex, but only as it applies to those willing to be stomped on and enslaved by the moral hazard behind his Robin Hood policy of stealing from the "Haves" to give to the "Have Nots". His very failed idea of governing is to simply rob Peter to pay Paul. Tweedle-Dumb Minnis is, and will always be, absolutely clueless as to how to go about creating new wealth in our country's economy to be shared by all Bahamians. Meanwhile he's corrupt to the core as he goes about cutting non-transparent back-room deals with foreign interests that wrongfully benefit and unjustly enrich himself and his favoured cronies and financial backers.
jamaicaproud 4 years, 10 months ago
Rwanda Burundi 2.0 Immigration is one thing. Block em if you must, but Rank Hatred. Why you all don't go demonstrate at the Jamaican High Commission? You all following behind a loser a mental case. In most cases people who have something going on with their lives don't have time to hate on the Fatherless, the widow and the poor.
bogart 4 years, 10 months ago
The problen is not entirely to blame them. The problem of the ptoblrm is the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for 1. Decades of comically inability to protect its borders and have boatloads of illegal boats breeching its borders and having illegal boats sail e days and land on islands to offload people 2. Inability for Authorities, politicians campaign promoses for decades but no results. 3. Negotiations with Haiti Leaders but always form the fail state to outsmart them 4. Inability to follow own Bahamian laws to prohibit building of shantytowns by illegals but apply the Building Permit laws to lawful Bahamians 5. Inability to understand Haitians culture, ecomomics, anything it seems - culture Restavik to have kids remain with others in Bahamas as parenf is deported even though Authorities have Birth Certificate, Hospital Records so that caught deported parents can be smuggled back, Living in a shanty is luxury to many as Bahamians do not know failed Haiti conditions, schooling is basically non existant in Haiti, giving lousy processing of paperwork for years encourages anchor babies to do better in the Bahamas and proliferate abd govt assisted all govt facilities. 6.Govt for decades used Citizenship notices in papers without photo now changed but have ones before Dorian listed as address as living in the Shantytown authorities fully knowing the applicant is broken the law livong residence n illegal location. 7.etcetcetc...THE protests should be down the road of the Haitian Embassy straight to the Bahamian Elected Authorities Offices on Parliament St.
jamaicaproud 4 years, 10 months ago
@Bogart I saw a news today where there are more Haitian refugees at the southern US border than Guatemalan and Hondurans. Canada is also crying out for help.
It's unfortunate that Bahamanians is in the Wind sailing path from Haiti. It's sad their useless Government has been unable to get stability.
TalRussell 4 years, 10 months ago
Those rebellious comrades associated with and marching alongside Operation Sovereign Bahamaland, could've been excused if they were clueless about lunacy of complaining to the government of Haiti for their not having the decency to contribute to the Hurricane Dorian efforts. You're lunacy borderline be making up a non-exist government of Haiti, you just, cant. Let's hope the same Reporter covering this story goin be conducting loud voices student backgrounds research to see that all Marchers' out front Embassy Haiti - are payments up to date with we own colony's government's student loans? They all need go spend their Christmas in Haiti to upgrade their learning.
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