Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday. Photo: Austin Fernander
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
and LETRE SWEETING
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis says it is important that The Bahamas help find a solution to the issues in Haiti that influence a continued exodus of its citizens to this country.
Mr Davis told reporters that The Bahamas is one of the lead heads of a CARICOM committee that has been given the responsibility of ensuring that a solution is found.
“But the solution has to be a Haitian solution,” Mr Davis said yesterday on the sidelines of a symposium at the SuperClubs Breezes Resort on West Bay Street.
“There was a meeting held on Saturday past in Trinidad. I was unable to attend because of the other pressing matters we are dealing with here and the deputy has attended in my stead,” he continued.
“I have been briefed and the next step is for me to determine when I will host my fellow leaders here in The Bahamas along with the Haitian prime minister to find the pathway to peace and prosperity.
“It is a concern and you have seen the desperation of Haitian people in an attempt to escape the challenges that they are experiencing in Haiti,” Mr Davis said when asked if the issue could affect immigration in The Bahamas.
“And we have to be concerned just for humanity. From a humanitarian point of view, you have to be concerned of the plight of our fellow human beings in Haiti and for The Bahamas.
“It is a security issue as well because when they are coming to The Bahamas we have to look after them. We don’t know all of the issues that surround those persons who come and it is concerning and we all ought to be concerned about it.”
In a separate interview yesterday, Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell said he expects the number of migrants seeking refuge in The Bahamas to increase before the end of the year.
This comes one month after a human smuggling tragedy on July 24, which resulted in the deaths of 17 Haitian migrants, after a boat carrying some 50 migrants overturned in rough seas near Blackbeard’s Cay.
And on Monday, 111 irregular migrants were apprehended by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force near Guinchos Cay, as they were on the way to the capital. Mr Bell said the migrants, consisting of 92 men, 14 women and five children, would arrive in the capital within a day or two.
“This goes in waves, every four or five years, you have a significant increase in the number of irregular migrants and as you all would appreciate what is going on in the south of the countries in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti where there is political unrest and economic instability.
“Certainly Cuba has been impacted by the Ukrainian war, in terms of them being able to access goods and so therefore we have seen a significant increase in irregular migrants from Cuba and from Haiti,” Mr Bell said.
When asked yesterday if he expects the number of migrants seeking refuge in The Bahamas to increase as the year continues, Mr Bell said, “Well from all indications the answer is yes.”
He said that law enforcement agencies and the United States Coast Guard are sufficiently dealing with the recent irregular migrant incidents.
“The good thing is our law enforcement agencies along with our US Coast Guard, they’re doing a marvellous job in terms of intercepting them and ensuring that we detain them and, of course, then we repatriate them as quickly as we can,” Mr Bell said.
In reference to those apprehended from the smuggling tragedy, Mr Bell said 15 of the surviving migrants along with 130 other Haitian migrants were sent back to their home countries last week.
“They were repatriated along with a total of 130 irregular migrants from Haiti who were repatriated in one shot, “ Mr Bell said.
He said those survivors sent back excluded those migrants needed as witnesses for the case against those responsible for the smuggling operation.
“There were several of them who we would need as witnesses. Those persons were kept. They remain in detention. The others were repatriated,” Mr Bell said.
Last month Mr Davis said despite the world suggesting that The Bahamas “should absorb all of those who leave Haiti”, the government will not open the country’s borders to irregular migration.
He said this is because we do not have the resources to do so.
According to the Associated Press, there is a “surge in Haitians fleeing their country” due to “rising violence, kidnappings and increasing economic crisis.”
Comments
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
I'm not sure there is a solution. Some countries and areas of the world simply need to be abondoned. Haiti is one of them. Either they can't take care of themselves or the land on which they live simply can't sustain the people who live there. If a million people wish to live in the middle of the Sahara is it the world's responsibility to ensure that they get enough food and water and access to health care? If Haiti is to exist then 90% of it's people need to be relocated elsewhere. But with several conditions. Those that remain need to be able to take care of themselves (which includes breeding responsibly) and those that leave must not send money back to Haiti - they must integrate into their new society and must spend their money locally (i.e. contribute to their new home).
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
Which would you prefer: All 12 million Haitians end up in The Bahamas, or in the U.S.?
The U.S. Federal government and the government of the State of Florida have persistently refused to open up the Florida coastline to 'irregular' immigration in the way they have done for the U.S. - Mexico borderline.
In fact, both the U.S. Federal government and the government of the State of Florida are incentivizing (financially rewarding) our government for assisting in keeping illegal Haitian aliens from ever getting to Florida's coastline.
As we all know, whenever the U.S. Coast Guard intercepts a boat-load of illegal Haitian aliens headed for Florida, they quickly bring them to New Providence where they become our headache and cost. Our elected officials are incentivized and 'rewarded' for letting this happen.
And our government usually has no way of verifying in whose territorial waters the illegal aliens were intercepted. We would be better off beefing up the patrolling of our own territorial waters by the Defense Force and telling the U.S. Coast Guard to take illegal aliens they intercept directly to Florida or just stay out of our territorial waters, period!
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
We certainly don't need anymore here. We have enough problems and certainly don't need even a handful more. Better to scatter them across the globe so that they can't create another dysfunctional country. But we must prepare for our Country and its people to also have the same reputation as Haiti - for we are close to collapse as well and we will be building our own sloops in the hopes of landing on US shores.
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
The problem for most of us is, the darker you are the more difficult it is to get into the U.S.
The 'wet-foot, dry-foot' policy for 'lighter' Cubans, but not for the darker people in our region of the world pretty much sums up all there is to say about the U.S. government's policy of different strokes for different folks.
And in case you haven't noticed on T.V, the vast majority of illegal immigrants pouring across the U.S. - Mexico border and being flown and bused all over the U.S. are much lighter complected than most of us Bahamians.
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
These most outrageous utterances by Davis make it abundantly clear corrupt political officials at the highest levels of our government are being handsomely 'rewarded' by sinister and evil foreign organizations for their endorsement and participation in human trafficking that will soon result in Bahamians being second class citizens within their own country.
Davis's own words are irrefutable evidence of what is going on. When was the last time anyone heard Davis make an impassioned humanity plea for and on behalf of the many thousands of impoverished and suffering Bahamians as he has done here for the Haitian people? Cased closed!
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
And let’s not forget for one moment that Haiti has a population of nearly 12 million people, all of whom our dunce PM will tell us deserve to live somewhere else, like The Bahamas with him as their new Papa.
So why doesn't our greedy, cruel, corrupt and incompetent PM tell the Bahamian people where they will deserve to live once he has allowed The Bahamas to become completely overrun by Haitian nationals?!
Corrupt Davis is obviously suffering from the very same God-like Saviour Complex that afflicted Tyrant Minnis, and afflicts anyone else whose life is totally consumed by the insatiable appetite to have power and control over others.
But there is one very important difference between Corrupt Davis and Tyrant Minnis. Tyrant Minnis wanted to 'save' his subservient Bahamian people; Corrupt Davis on the other hand wants to 'save' his subservient Haitian people. And when you think about it, that's a very big difference!!
One 2 years, 2 months ago
Solution: Smuggle them into the USA
SP 2 years, 2 months ago
Steaming horse nanny! The government has already opened the country’s borders to irregular Haitian migration decades ago. Which explains why we have as many Haitians in the Bahamas as Bahamians or more right now.
This clown is trying to soften us up for the announcement that restrictions have been eased for Haitians to be allowed into the Bahamas.
Mr. Davis should simply tell "the world" THEY “should absorb all of those who leave Haiti”!
"The world" does not want Haitians because they know wherever high numbers of Haitians go will be transformed into a violent cesspool because Haitians have proven beyond any doubt they are largely incapable of assimilating to other cultures.
Our country has been long overrun by Haitians. It's only a matter of time before they try to rise up in the Bahamas and demand from us what they were unable to demand in Haiti.
bahamianson 2 years, 2 months ago
Dude , what the hell are you talking about? We must help Haiti , like we have it all figured out.
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
What are YOU talking about??? We have helped Haiti! Which other country in the world has taken in the number of Haitians (or any other group of citizens) equivalent to their own population? 240k Haitian's here - by their own count! I think we've helped tremendously.
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