SOME of the Haitian migrants detained recently by the RBDF.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
GRIM and dire circumstances in Haiti have forced citizens to migrate across treacherous seas in search of a better life, a local community leader told The Tribune yesterday.
According to Frank Racine, large numbers of people are leaving Haiti due to worsened conditions following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise back in July and then an earthquake last month that killed 2,200 people.
More than 900 Haitians have been taken into custody from Bahamian waters since Wednesday. While this indicates a clear uptick in apprehensions, officials had previously warned that the circumstances in Haiti could trigger such an occurrence.
“The problem is we have had a big issue in Haiti since July 17 when our President got assassinated,” Mr Racine said. “After that we had an earthquake affecting three towns. So now a lot of people have no work, they have nowhere to live.
“People are leaving right now to come to Nassau because they are looking for their security. These people right now have no security, no Prime Minister, just nothing.
“The economy is bad because people can’t come to invest money, everything is closed, people are getting kidnapped. Any second you walk on the road you get kidnapped. So, the two major reasons, security and the economy, are the main problems.
“They are killing, they (are) chapping, they (are) kidnapping so all of that is on you. We are in trouble. That’s why people are leaving and looking for someplace to live a little better. That is why people are coming at this time.”
Mr Racine continued: “It’s just a really, really, bad situation. Our President got killed and people can’t get any justice so more problems have happened. People don’t even want to send their kids to school. If you get your daughter and send her to school, she could get kidnapped. Those people ask for big money.
This is the kind of country we have now.”
He said he was of the view that the situation could see change if governments of both The Bahamas and Haiti work together to aid those needing help.
The community activist said restrictions on Haitians wanting to leave the country legally could be relaxed and means to help them economically once they arrive in the country could be developed.
“You need a few visas, three visas to get the Bahamian visa. This one is too hard. Maybe it could be two countries that have a relationship, two CARICOM countries, otherwise it’s too hard on the people. If you ask me to have a US visa, what do I need a Bahamian visa for? They could make it easier. Or if you are my friend, a Bahamian citizen I could ask you to apply for me. You have to make sure they are leaving after they finish visiting. The government could work together and make sure they leave.
“Plus, they could open the country to allow the Haitians to bring their stuff to sell and they could make some money, send their kids to school and take care of their family.
“This could help to slow them coming on the boats every second.”
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force said more than 400 migrants were detained Sunday after their vessel sank in the Ragged Island chain.
On Saturday, 195 Haitian migrants were apprehended in two separate incidents.
On Saturday morning, a sloop carrying 50 Haitians was intercepted off Inagua. Later in the day, a sloop was spotted in the Ragged Island chain. Marines aboard an RBDF ship discovered 145 migrants on board.
The RBDF said that on Thursday evening, while on the way to Inagua with a group of 70 migrants, who were apprehended earlier in the day, marines aboard the HMBS Bahamas spotted another sloop just five miles west of Inagua with 151 Haitians on board.
On Wednesday, authorities apprehended 86 Haitian migrants off Inagua.
Comments
benniesun 3 years, 1 month ago
Aesop For Children
A Farmer walked through his field one cold winter morning. On the ground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put it in his bosom to warm it back to life.
The Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the man who had been so kind to it. The bite was deadly...
It is a cold hard question of numbers - the food that can feed 10 people cannot feed 10,000. Under our present economic and pandemic situation we are not able to adequately help our own. It is similar to swimming for miles while carrying a non-swimmer, and we are at the point where self preservation has to kick in and dump the non-swimmer or both of us will perish. This is not about love for our neighbours, but our love for our children and their offspring.
ohdrap4 3 years, 1 month ago
You have a point about the society being undistinguishable.
A "friend" from an online forum was invited to a fundraiser for the hopetown lighthouse. She decided to look it up on wikipedia. She contacted me to say most of the population was of haitian descent. I remained speechless.
quietone 3 years, 1 month ago
Benniesun, I agree with you completely... never heard of Bahamians illegally going to other countries... heard that we have a debt of 12 billion dollars. Cannot even think of us trying to assist other countries during these extremely perilous times we are experiencing!!!
SP 3 years, 1 month ago
For decades the PLP and FNM have been courting and facilitating Haitians. Neither government took the Haitian invasion seriously. Hubert Ingraham told us to learn Creol and Perry Christie said he wanted to see a Haitian prime minister in the Bahamas.
Now the chickens are coming home to roost! Hubert & Perry with their police guard escorts and their children all employed living in high-end areas have nothing to fear.
The situation in Inagua being overrun by Haitians is a foresight of what will happen in Nassau in the immediate future.
Government S-T-U-P-I-D-I-T-Y and total disregard for Bahamians encouraged and "enemy with-in" to flourish to this point where they are ready to overpopulate our country in matter of days.
Thank you PLP and FNM for Fuching up my country and taking away any chance of a decent life for my children!!
bahamianson 3 years, 1 month ago
The middle class is getting screwed. The rich investor gets exemptions and the illegal immigrant gets free uniforms, schooling, medical , lunch and snacks. The middle class gets all the financial headache.
GodSpeed 3 years, 1 month ago
Keep them out, sorry not sorry. They need to stop breeding. Only the dumbest of people have kids when they are not able to feed themselves.
realityisnotPC 3 years, 1 month ago
That is the absolute truth. Having children should not be viewed as a human right, it is a right you need to earn by being able to provide for them.
quavaduff 3 years, 1 month ago
And the Bahamas calls itself a Christian nation ... you folks sound like racist tRump voters
Virtually every Haitian I come in contact with is working or looking for a job which is more than I can say for my fellow Bahamians.
realityisnotPC 3 years, 1 month ago
This is why western civilization is doomed…because the politically correct, the wokes, the “religious” and the snowflake cancel culture brigade refuse to look at hard truths, common sense and logic. Everyone with an ounce of humanity feels awful for plight of Haitians, but not wanting to let them destroy our own lives, culture and security does not make us evil. And they would have far fewer problems and less degradation in Haiti if they had indeed, on an individual level, all thought sensibly about whether they had the ability to take care of any children they wanted to have. We all have things we would like to do but don’t do because we don’t have the money for it…we don’t just do it anyway and expect someone else to pay for it.
Clamshell 3 years, 1 month ago
Hear, hear!!
benniesun 3 years, 1 month ago
@quavaduff - The Haitians have their network of friends here and they have connections to get jobs for each other. Those are jobs which Bahamians can do! Then there is the fallacy about The Bahamas not being their destination - we are their destination just look around. If you are one of those Christians who gives the clothes of your back, turn the other cheek when slapped, and who prays for the health and strength of your enemy (instead of praying for their total destruction),then hooray for you. This nation needs emotionally mature right thinking people to pilot our country out of the darkness we have descended into.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
Youve perpetrated the fallacy that every foreign person is hard working and the locals are lazy and shiftless. Its not true here and its not true anywhere. What you have in the Bahamas is a *subset* of a foreign population who are willing to do anything to survive, so yes the majority of them will be hardworking. Alongside them you have a native population some of whom are entitled to govt or are fortunate to have family assistance so some of them are lazy. This dynamic plays out in every single country on earth. The real truth is there are some hard working humans and there are some lazy humans, rich and poor
SP 3 years, 1 month ago
Hey idiot. The reason your "fellow" Bahamians are not working is that a Haitian LIKE YOU is occupying their job. You need to leave!
GodSpeed 3 years, 1 month ago
yes and working for dirt cheap wages, that's why the rich in all countries love the illegal hordes.
jus2cents 3 years, 1 month ago
Horrified by the response on this comment section, you should be ashamed of yourselves. A history of abuse by corrupt governments has put Haiti's people in this terrible predicament, what would you do in their shoes? They need HELP not vitriol.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
There's no easy answer no matter how you look at it. Even the humanitarian organizations dont set a goal of helping "everybody". If it were possible, there'd be no refugees anywhere, they would have all been taken in, fed and housed by now. The ultimate solution has to be in fixing Haiti, they need some honest men. It seems like their upper ranks are riddled by corruption so support doesnt get to the people. They look just like us. Our solution is also in eliminating the power base of the corrupt
SP 3 years, 1 month ago
Even more horrified that people like you cannot see the threat to national security Haitians pose to Bahamians and the Bahamas!
GodSpeed 3 years, 1 month ago
Okay if you care so much then please taken in some Haitians into YOUR home and take care of them. Don't put the burden on the finances of others.
avidreader 3 years, 1 month ago
Yes, they need help but in their own country under the care of their own government. They need some serious education on birth control as well as education in general. The Bahamas has had a problem with illegal immigration since the late 1940s. Now that the numbers are alarming, people are taking notice. There was a time when politicians spoke about the dangers of uncontrolled population growth. Books were written on the topic. Not any more.
bahamianson 3 years, 1 month ago
Ok, lifeboat economics, let us take them on our lifeboat that can only hold 400,000. Let us take Haiti's population of 11,574,446 in our country and our boat sinks.what do we do? Do we live or do we take 11,000,000 people on and die?
SP 3 years, 1 month ago
@jus2cents.....You are an absolute idiot! Haiti has received $BILLIONS in aid. The Bahamas cannot rescue 11 million Haitians. We are not responsible for Haiti's problems, and Haitians don't give a dam about us!
Yes, they need help, but we are unable to help them. America, the richest country on the planet CANNOT SAVE HAITI, what the hell do you want us to do? Notice how America can deport the Haitians back to Haiti regardless of the last country they came from BUT the same dam America will send Haitians caught trying to enter the US illegally from the Bahamas back to the Bahamas.
With dimwits like you in charge we would open the floodgates and bring in all the poor suffering Venezuelans, Hondorians, El Salvadorians, and while we're being so Christian, why not bring in the Uighurs from China too! All of these countries' people are in the same position as Haitians.
Then what? They will drag us down to their level and WE will have to join them on sinking boats trying to get into the U.S.
When the kidnapping, disappearings, murders, rapes, and robberies which these people are definitely bringing with them touch you and your family personally, you might want to quantify your Christianity and COMMON SENSE.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
Haiti has made its entire economy dependent on the illegal export of Haitians to other countries who then send a good portion of their earnings abroad back to their family members in Haiti. This economic model is a winning situation for the human traffickers and those who own the money transfer businesses used by Haitian nationals.
Another benefit for Haiti from the illegal export of its people to other countries is it helps take some pressure off of the over-population situation in Haiti. And it's well known Haitians are among the most child-producing people on our planet today with 'staright' Haitian males fathering scores of children inside and outside of marriage and Haitian females being pregnant during the greater part of their child-bearing years.
Without serious US help in addressing the ongoing invasion of The Bahamas by Haitian nationals, we Bahamians just don't stand a chance in hell of surviving as a people in our own country. And right now it seems the US under the current Biden administration cannot even help itself!
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