The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

BISHOP Simeon Hall is calling on Bahamians living illegally in the United States to return home, warning that they could face arrest and deportation if they remain.

His appeal was a pastoral response to rising fear and confusion among some Bahamians following the start of a new US administration and heightened immigration rhetoric during the 2024 election cycle. While there has been no official announcement of changes to deportation policy, immigration remains a politically charged issue in the United States, particularly in southern states where many Bahamians travel or reside.

Bishop Hall, former president of the Bahamas Christian Council, is pleading to those Bahamians who do not have legal documentation to live in the US to come home.

“I join my brothers and sisters of the cloth to make a pastoral call to any and all Bahamians in the United States without proper documents to return home before facing arrest and deportation,” he said in a message. “Any infraction of US immigration laws will follow you and your family the rest of your days.”

He said that America’s judicial and prison systems are sometimes worse than ours, adding that there is little mercy shown to foreigners breaking their immigration laws.

“America has a right to enforce its laws,” he said. “So, I say to all undocumented Bahamians in the US — Come home! It’s supper time!”

When contacted for comment, the Bahamian Consul in Washington, D.C., Wendall Jones, acknowledged concerns about Bahamians overstaying their visas in the United States.

“We understand there are about 400 Bahamians in this situation. We have no way to verify that number, but that is the information that has been circulated, so that is a guesstimate,” he said.

That figure appears to reference a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report released in late 2024, which said 426 Bahamian citizens were under final orders of removal as of November. These people had not been detained at the time but were part of a broader list of over 1.4 million people from various countries facing deportation.

Mr Jones said there is a relatively small Bahamian diaspora in the United States compared to other countries in the Americas.

“Contrary to what some believe, Bahamians like to stay home,” he said. “There is a very small number of Bahamians living in the US.”

“We are simply asking Bahamians to obey the law, to respect US laws, and if they wish to return to the US not to overstay their time.”

Mr Jones said people are normally given six months and should not extend their time without proper permission from US immigration authorities.

He said people requiring to stay longer for medical reasons should apply for an extension.

“There are Bahamians who now find themselves unable to travel to the United States because, when they attempt to return, they realise they overstayed their time on previous visits and are not able to get a visa.”

“We are asking Bahamians to follow the United States laws just as we expect foreign nationals in The Bahamas to follow our laws.”

Mr Jones said officials have not seen any changes in the types of requests they get from people visiting or contacting the embassy since the change in the US administration.

“It is business as usual,” he said. “There are a lot of exaggerated claims being made, but we have not observed any changes whatsoever.”

A Bahamian woman believed to have been living illegally in the US for a decade was recently arrested at Fort Lauderdale airport.

While he said he has no direct knowledge of it, Mr Jones said if the story is true, she simply overstayed her time and had no legal rights to protection and should have been deported.

“You simply do not come to the United States and disobey the laws of the country,” he said. “You do not have a right to a visa if you overstay your time or exceed the period allotted to you.”