Homes in ruins one week after Hurricane Dorian hit The Mudd community in Abaco. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
THE government has no intention of granting provisional asylum to undocumented migrants nor does it plan to meet with Haitian officials at this stage over concerns that have emanated in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
This is according to Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson yesterday, who maintained that while asylum will not be given, the government was committed to assisting all victims affected by Hurricane Dorian, regardless of origin or status.
However, he said, these people will be the only ones immune at this time from apprehension and repatriation, as officials continue to monitor the country's borders and conduct operations in the other unaffected islands.
Mr Johnson further warned that people found harbouring undocumented migrants would face the law. Last week, the government announced that apprehension exercises had been suspended in Abaco and Grand Bahama, but it is unclear how long this will remain the status quo.
Meanwhile, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, who heads the Shanty Town Action Task Force, noted the poor conditions of these unregulated communities made them dangerous for inhabiting.
Given the government's intention to completely eradicate such places and two missed deadlines, Mr Johnson said it was certainly the aim not to allow homes to be reconstructed in those areas. The Minnis administration had intended to eradicate shanty towns in New Providence by last July and those in Abaco on a deadline of July 31, 2019.
"We were extraordinarily careful in crafting our statement in regard to immigration having regard to the fact that we are now facing a humanitarian crisis," Mr Johnson told reporters outside Cabinet yesterday. "The government has taken the decision that immigration policies or enforcement measures are suspended forthwith in the affected areas. Why we were extremely careful is because the notice sent out does not include islands like Inagua, Cat Island and San Salvador, Long Island and what have you.
"We still have the constitutional right to safeguard our borders and we still appreciate the fact that there are persons who may be in those other islands who may not have a right to be here and so the Immigration Department has strict instructions to enforce in the outer islands.
"But most certainly for anybody that is affected or comes out of those affected islands they have nothing to worry about. The government is encouraging, as you have seen all and sundry regardless of origin (or) immigration status to take advantage of social services, the shelters (and) the health care.
"As we have always been doing in The Bahamas, anybody in The Bahamas can get education, anybody can get healthcare, but even more so in these circumstances.
"You've seen an excellent example by the international community, our brothers and sisters who have come in from America, the Dutch, Trinidad and Tobago (and) Jamaica who are providing service without regard to origin or immigration status.
"You have seen boats left Abaco and Freeport and some persons who are undocumented are allowed to get on those boats before Bahamians and everybody is cooperating in an orderly manner.
"So for those areas affected no, but for those unaffected, the immigration officers know what they ought to do."
On Monday, Haitian Chargé d'Affaires Dorval Darlier said he wanted the Bahamas government to grant temporary asylum to undocumented migrants affected by Hurricane Dorian.
This, he asserted, was the best way to assist devastated Haitians living in Grand Bahama and Abaco to rebuild their lives after losing everything to Dorian's destruction.
To this, Mr Johnson said: "I'm hearing something about this asylum. At this time there has been no instructions given to me by the most honourable prime minister and his Cabinet that any asylum would be given to anybody.
"We know that there are a number of persons who ought not be here and for those unaffected areas, know that we will be out there.
"I have said to the director of immigration I have a serious concern that when sometimes we do these enforcement measures that nobody is being arrested for harbouring. So I wanted to say to the Bahamian public I don't want anybody to be calling me if you're found harbouring anybody. That will assist us greatly the $6,000 you'll have to pay.
"I have gone to almost all of the shelters. I have given out all of my personal numbers, 376-7723 or 376-7599, and if anybody comes in raising or if you even think they have the intention to raise the issue of someone's immigration status call me directly and I have strict instructions from the prime minister to deal with that post haste."
Asked if there were plans to meet with Haitian officials, Mr Johnson said: "We're not going to meet at this stage. That's a decision for the prime minister. My responsibility and the instructions that has been given to me, which is in keeping with the law, is that you aren't to take regard ever as the Constitution has indicated for origin and immigration status and we're doing that in these matters.
"Nobody will be treated better than anybody."
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 2 months ago
What else is new? They have always been for the most part immune to apprehension and repatriation which is why we have an ongoing invasion problem to begin with.
killemwitdakno 5 years, 2 months ago
Not needed. We just don't need them to block the visa-waiver or hold up visas. It not any different from the school shopping season which just ended.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 2 months ago
Repost:
For decades now many of the Caribbean nations south of us have been trying to boost there own economies by making it as easy as possible for many of their indigent citizens to illegally enter the Bahamas with the hope of finding work and sending money back home to their families. The invasion of the Bahamas by illegal aliens from other Caribbean nations has been exacerbated by greedy powerful criminal elements involved in highly profitable human trafficking enterprises. These very same criminal enterprises are also engaged in the smuggling of arms and drugs. Sadly, we have been betrayed as a nation by Bahamians who are duplicitous in these illegal activities for their own very greedy self-gain, including no doubt some of our past and present senior government officials. The rumours over the years about corruption within our immigration department, registry of births and passport office are well known within the Bahamian community.
Successive PLP and FNM governments have done nothing to protect Bahamians from the ongoing invasion of the Bahamas by illegal aliens, too many of whom are involved in the criminal enterprises I mentioned above or are members of violent gangs that have been wreaking havoc on our society. Survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian would have been granted generous visa waivers and many forms of other assistance by the U.S. government and the State of Florida were it not for the fact that Bahamians have allowed their successive PLP and FNM governments to turn a blind eye to the protection of our country's borders with no real enforcement of our immigration laws. This has been the case for so many years now that the Bahamas has effectively become a satellite state of Haiti in the eyes of the U.S. government, and rightfully so.
For the first time ever, a President of the U.S. recently announced to the world that the U.S. is unwilling to waive any of its strict documentation requirements for getting into and staying temporarily in the U.S. for Hurricane Dorian survivors from Abaco and Grand Bahama because of the national security risks associated with our illegal alien problems. This position has of course now received the support of the Governor of the State of Florida and Florida's two Republican Senators. Bahamians must not allow the Minnis-led FNM government and other political officials to try spin this position of the U.S. government into anti-American sentiment or racism. We Bahamians allowed our successive PLP and FNM governments to do nothing about our illegal alien problems and the U.S. government has every right, in fact the mandate from the American people, to protect their homeland.
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