The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

COALITION of Independents Leader Lincoln Bain said his party may seek judicial review of the Davis administration’s immigration activities.

During a press conference at the COI headquarters yesterday, Mr Bain leaked additional information about a January 17 incident in which Mr Bell is alleged to have intervened to release dozens of Chinese nationals working with irregularities at the British Colonial Hotel.

He also leaked Mr Bell’s voice message to a senior immigration official. In that clip, Mr Bell said Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper directed that immigration officials not proceed against the Chinese nationals.

In a January 18, 2023 letter, Chad Adams, the chief immigration officer, wrote that only three of 65 Chinese nationals produced identification documents. He wrote that those three overstayed their time in the country.

The letter is addressed to Fausteen Major-Smith, deputy director of immigration.

“On arrival at the hotel, we observed lighting and clothing hung in the windows of some of the rooms,” Mr Adams wrote. “Shortly thereafter, we noted an Asian male in the window of one of the rooms.”

Mr Adams said the deputy director of immigration instructed him to arrest and detain the subjects. However, this decision was overturned by the director of immigration.

“Madame, as you are aware, I contacted you and your instruction was to have all subjects arrested and detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre,” he wrote. “However, I would have received a phone call from the director to hold on taking persons into custody.

“All subjects were left at the property as instructed.”

According to the letter, the three people who overstayed in the country did so by nine months, four months and 24 days, respectively.

Yesterday, Mr Bain said: “We’re going to continue to let the Bahamian people see the skulduggery that is going on right now in our immigration department and we’re going to make further announcement as to what our way forward is with this.”