The Bahamas will amend laws to make harboring illegal migrants a serious offense with serious penalties... ...As the Bahamian government seeks to severely curb illegal immigration and human smuggling...

Bahamians want to probe Haitian smuggling rings

By Juan McCartney
Guardian Senior Reporter
juan@nasguard.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

The government is pushing ahead with its plan to place Bahamian intelligence officers in Haiti with a view to investigating and breaking human smuggling rings operating out The Bahamas’ impoverished, yet densely populated southern neighbor, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell.

The minister said the officers would be placed in Haiti as part of an initiative previously negotiated in a joint bilateral commission with Haiti, but never ratified by the administration of since-overthrown Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Mitchell said the issue came up during high-level meetings with Haitian officials at the 33rd CARICOM heads of government meeting in St. Lucia earlier this month.

“We would like to [have officers there] because we believe that if we are allowed to have intelligence officers in Haiti we can probably stop this smuggling or put a big dent in it from the north.  So those are our aims and objectives with regard to that,” Mitchell said.

During the CARICOM meetings, Haitian President Michel Martelly and Trade Minister Wilson Laleau were more interested in talking about trade matters, according to Mitchell, but the Bahamian contingent pressed to also have meaningful discussions about illegal migration.

As the government seeks to severely curb illegal immigration and human smuggling, tougher penalties for harboring illegal immigrants could also be introduced as amendments to existing law when the House of Assembly meets tomorrow, said Mitchell.

“We’re looking to amend the law to make harboring illegal migrants a serious offense with serious penalties,” Mitchell explained.  “I guess debate will take place in the fall because we want to have some public discussion about the matter.”

The expected legislation will arrive in the wake of several tragedies that have taken place in recent weeks believed to be the result of human smuggling.

Last month, a vessel capsized in waters about two miles off Crown Haven, Abaco, ending in the deaths of 11 women and children believed to be of Haitian descent.

The victims were among 28 passengers who boarded the ill-fated boat from Abaco and headed to Florida on June 10, authorities said.

Five of the victims were children who attended Treasure Cay Primary School. The other victims were women.

Police suspect the group was part of a human smuggling operation that originated in Abaco. At least seven people are believed to have survived the accident.

Earlier this month, a Haitian woman drowned after a Haitian sloop landed in waters just off southeastern New Providence.

Several other bodies believed to be connected to that incident were later found.

Dozens of migrants who also arrived on that boat were also captured.

July 24, 2012

thenassauguardian

...how Haitian immigration grew into today's social problem in The Bahamas

How and why the Haitian problem grew

tribune24 editorial

Nassau, The Bahamas



WE have always had Haitians in the Bahamas. Like all Bahamians they came by different routes.  Peaceful citizens, they were fully embraced by the locals, and many of them made outstanding contributions to their new country.

For example, the first black man to sit in the House of Assembly -- remaining there for 33 years - was Stephen Dillet, a Haitian by birth.

His mother was African, his father a French Army Officer.  In Haiti's revolution of 1802, young Stephen and his mother were put on a boat headed for Cuba to find safe haven.  However, their boat was captured by a British privateer and taken to Nassau, where the Dillets settled, and Stephen later entered politics.  He was also an active Free Mason, having been appointed Deputy Provincial Grand Master in 1857.  Another account of his life has him settling in the US where he owned slaves, then coming to Nassau where, in addition to being a member of the House, he was the island's coroner and postmaster.

It is recorded that at one time the historic Balcony House on Market Street --now a museum and believed to be the oldest house in the Bahamas dating back to 1788 -- was his home.
And so, over the years, Haitians settled in The Bahamas, fully participated in the island's activities, were embraced by other Bahamians -- all, at one time or another, themselves immigrants -- and were solidly woven into The Bahamas' human fabric.  In those days, no one questioned their identity or their right to be here.  Today, however, the story has changed.  Bahamians whose tendrils once clung to Mother Haiti are terrified to share their now "shameful" secret with their fellow Bahamians.

Over the years, the situation changed.  The PLP came on the scene with the late Sir Lynden Pindling promising that no longer would Bahamians be "hewers of wood and drawers of water".  Manual labour was not only demeaning, but abhorrent to Bahamian ears -- "that's Haitian work!"  And so Bahamians left the farms.  Slowly Haitians started to fill the gaps.  This was a different type of Haitian -- they were even unsettling to their Haitian brothers who had quietly settled here and become Bahamians.  Haitian-Bahamians feared that the spotlight would also be turned on them.  They, like many Bahamians, did not welcome the unskilled who had started to infiltrate the country, and who, as the illegal numbers increased, grew into what is today the "Haitian problem".

On a radio talk show in 2006, Bahamian Paul Cumberbatch, describing himself as a "small farmer" with more than 200 acres of land, had a serious complaint with then PLP Minister Shane Gibson, who at the time headed Immigration.  Mr Cumberbatch said he needed 500 Haitians on his farm, and did not agree that any of those already in The Bahamas should be sent back to Haiti.  He felt that all those with jobs -- legal or illegal-- should be regularised and only the jobless should be returned to Haiti.

"When Sir Lynden was prime minister," he said, "no minister could do what Shane (Gibson) is doing now."  He said when then deputy prime minister Arthur Hanna, who had Immigration in his portfolio, and later when the late Sir Clement Maynard headed Immigration he was given whatever work permits he needed for his Haitians.  Those were peaceful days, he said.

And so this is how Haitian immigration grew into today's social problem -- Bahamians refused to work the land -- themselves labelling it as "Haitian work."  And PLP politicians pandering to the needs of their supporters by giving them permits to bring in unlimited numbers of unskilled workers to replace Bahamians on the farm.  These Haitians, according to Mr Cumberbatch, were landed at the Coral Harbour Defence Force base.  Some Bahamians, who were able to get unlimited numbers of permits, developed side businesses by farming out their Haitians to other Bahamians who had no political godfathers -- at a good price, of course.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, now in charge of Immigration, is trying to regularise the status of foreigners, among them Haitians.  As for work permits, more than half approved were for unskilled jobs such as handymen and housekeepers.  Mr Symonette said that the majority of people who received Bahamian citizenship were born in the Bahamas to foreigners and/or lived here all their lives.  Many others were women married to Bahamian men.  The Opposition's claim that 10,000 people were awarded citizenship was "grossly exaggerated," he said.

"People keep talking about 10,000 citizenships given by the FNM.  That's wrong, wrong, wrong," said Haitian Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue.

"During the year," he said, "we had about 500 renounce -- so where are those 10,000?"  Mr Rodrigue wanted to know.

Bahamian voters have to remember that this is "silly season" when lies abound.  To qualify as an intelligent and responsible voter, they will have to be smarter than the liars and themselves search for the truth.

February 16, 2012

tribune24 editorial

WikiLeaks diplomatic cable: ...the unaddressed issue of Haitian integration in The Bahamas could eventually lead to ethnic violence in The Islands

Cable: Haitian-Bahamian tension could lead to violence



BY BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com

Nassau, Bahamas

Hundreds of Haitian migrants land illegally in The Bahamas each year


The Americans are of the view that the unaddressed issue of Haitian integration in The Bahamas could eventually lead to ethnic violence in this country, according to a diplomatic cable from the United States Embassy in Nassau.

The detailed nearly 3,500-word cable from June 2009, obtained by The Nassau Guardian from WikiLeaks, is an extensive analysis by the embassy of the tense Haitian situation in The Bahamas.

“The existence of a large, dissatisfied and poorly-integrated ethnic minority is a potential risk to social and political stability in The Bahamas,” said the embassy.

There are a wide range of estimates as to how many Haitians reside in The Bahamas. The numbers range from 30,000 to 70,000 in a country of 350,000 people.

Many Haitians live in shantytowns and the majority of these shantytowns are in New Providence. However, two of the largest are in Abaco (The Mud and Pigeon Pea).

Successive governments, for the most part, have maintained the country’s traditional policy position regarding Haitians, pushing repatriation of the undocumented and the regularization of those eligible for legal status.

This policy has not solved the problem. There are no official numbers, but many Haitian children born to parents illegally in The Bahamas are ‘stateless’. They consider themselves Bahamians, but have no legal status in this country, having not taken up the Haitian status of their parents.

The Americans consider further engagement of the Haitian community as a possible means of preventing conflict between the communities.

“The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) would be well-served to encourage integration, as some commentators recognize, both to diffuse existing animosities and (to) avoid future manifestations of discontent,” said the cable.

“In the short term, given the economic and social pressures, GCOB anti-immigration policy is unlikely to change. As a result, well-entrenched Haitian communities are barely tolerated and the risk of ethnic flare-ups rises in proportion to economic hardship and stricter immigration enforcement. The possibility of overt inter-ethnic violence persists.”

No sustained inter-ethnic violence between Bahamians and Haitians has emerged, though Bahamians regularly express frustration, and sometimes hostility, via talk radio about the Haitian situation.

The Americans suggested that in a down economy, with increasing numbers of Haitians coming to the country and increased anti-Haitian sentiment, Haitian-Bahamian conflict could at some point emerge in various parts of The Bahamas.

“Inner-city Nassau neighborhoods are most at risk, but the potential for conflict also exists in suburbs where new subdivisions encroach on existing migrant settlements,” said the cable.

“Conflict is also possible in outlying islands, which are proportionately greater affected by demographic changes or economic deterioration, and the competition for scarce land and jobs is fiercer.”

The Haitian vote

In recent years, the Free National Movement (FNM) has publicly been ‘softer’ in its public tone towards Haitians than the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which has held more to the traditional policy of repatriation.

At a rally in March at Clifford Park, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham began by reaching out to the Haitian community, acknowledging the return of the former leader of the country.

“Firstly, I want to give a shout out to my Haitian brothers and sisters and say how pleased I am that President Aristide has been allowed to return back to Haiti,” Ingraham said.

Though a casual remark, Ingraham’s reference to Haitians in The Bahamas as his “brothers and sisters” was a significant demonstration of solidarity by a Bahamian politician and leader.

The extent of anti-Haitian sentiment in The Bahamas was evident after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Ingraham suspended repatriations and released Haitians being detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

Talk radio across the country was overwhelmed by those expressing anger with Ingraham’s decision.

Thus far Haitians have not organized a political lobby to agitate for their interests in The Bahamas. There are no openly Haitian representatives in Parliament.

With the large number of Haitians in the country, however, the Americans realize that they would have significant power if they came together.

“A well-organized community might already have the power to swing a close election and wield increased influence as a result. Haitians in The Bahamas, however, do not appear as yet to have the will or organizational wherewithal to risk an open challenge to the status quo,” said the cable.

“Instead, most prefer to seek integration in place while others move on to the U.S.”

With the large number of Haitians in the country, despite the current reluctance by them to openly enter front-line politics, sustained and open Haitian representation in Parliament going forward is inevitable.

The flow of people and discrimination

Cables on China have revealed the American concerns regarding The Bahamas being used as a transit point to smuggle Chinese to the United States.

Many of the Haitians that come to The Bahamas are smuggled into the country by Bahamians. The Americans described these smugglers as experienced.

“Migrants from poorer Caribbean countries are smuggled to or through The Bahamas, destined for the U.S., by well-established, island-hopping networks. Many are run by Bahamian smugglers based in Freeport, Grand Bahama or Bimini, two of the closest points to Florida shores,” said the cable.

These migrants risk their lives to come to The Bahamas, as the Americans noted. Haitians have relayed stories revealing that they have been told by smugglers to jump overboard from vessels into the sea and to swim to shore when they approach Bahamian islands. Some who could not swim drowned after paying $2,000 to $3,000 to escape the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

“Such tragic incidents highlight the desperation of the migrants and indicate that the illicit Haitian migration flow to and through The Bahamas is unlikely to stop,” said the cable.

After suffering through this ordeal, many Haitian migrants are faced with discrimination once they settle in The Bahamas.

“Bahamians strongly resent the social cost, cultural impact, and crime linked – in popular stereotypes certainly – to Haitian immigration. These sentiments are confirmed in contacts with government officials, political activists, especially the youth, and NGO leaders who interact with both communities,” the Americans observed in the cable.

“Haitians are thought to impose disproportionate demands on inadequate social services, primarily health and education, due to the higher birth rate in the Haitian community.”

These issues, the Americans observed, have the potential to explode someday in The Bahamas if constructive policies are not introduced to further integration.

Jun 15, 2011

thenassauguardian