Pintard: Gov’t has “thrown in the towel” on Haitian migration issue

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition leader Michael Pintard yesterday accused the Davis administration of having “thrown in the towel” on the illegal Haitian migration issue, arguing that the government should be doing more to stem the flow of illegal migrants from that country.

In a statement yesterday, Pintard said the matter is now a very pressing issue in the country.

“The Prime Minister has gone as far to assert that his government is doing all that it can to address the obvious upswing in the number of Haitian migrants seeking to illegally land and live in The Bahamas,” he said.

“To add insult to injury, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is on record suggesting that The Bahamas does not have a Haitian problem and that it is Haiti that has problems. Additionally, the Minster of Immigration, Keith Bell who recently asked what crisis, appears to be signaling our willingness to grant asylum to Haitian nationals that are threatened in their country,” said Pintard.

He added: “Based on such observations and the apparent inaction of the government in aggressively addressing this age-old and very vexing problem, which now threatens our national security and our way of life, it is our considered view that the Davis Administration has thrown in the towel on the issues of Haiti and the persistent illegal migration of Haitian nationals to The Bahamas.”

Pintard noted that while some Haitians are committed to remaining home and work toward concrete solutions to reverse the collapse of their country, many of their citizens are fleeing by boat and airplane in search of a better life.

“We sincerely empathize and sympathize with the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters, however, we cannot continue to accept every distressed Haitian national seeking to find sanctuary in our developing country which has a myriad of challenges of its own,” said Pintard.

Pintard said the government should vigorously petition Haitian officials, CARICOM, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations to take more deliberate actions toward addressing Haiti’s longstanding political and security challenges. He called for urgent short-term action as officials roll out the medium to long-term strategy.

He continued: “More must be immediately done to address better protection of our maritime borders and the blatant abuse of our visa process. So severe is the historical disregard for our immigration laws by foreign nationals aided by some Bahamians that the sovereignty of The Bahamas is under threat. The Ministry of National Security must move post-haste to establish a more robust presence in the southern corridors of The Bahamas.

“Additionally, where necessary, there must be improved radar and drone coverage to detect and apprehend migrant-laden vessels en route to The Bahamas. A special unit must be formed to vigilantly follow up on holders of visitor and work visas to ensure that the visa holders comply completely with the timelines of their stay in The Bahamas. There must be an immediate audit of all work permit holders in The Bahamas to determine the need and the extent to which the law is being followed.”

Pintard noted that the Minnis administration during its time in office had put in place a moratorium on the issuance of Visas to enter The Bahamas from Haiti. “We did so because of reports of improprieties in the system. The Immigration Department must be intentional about its follow-up with Visa holders who legally land in our country to ensure compliance with our laws and visas granted. Violators should be deported and declared persona non grata.”

Pintard furthered the Government of The Bahamas must also find the means of expediting applications for citizenship duly made by children born to foreign nationals in our country during the time period designated by law.

“The process is simply too long and intolerable,” he said.

“It is hoped that the committee established on our watch to deal with this issue is still sitting.”

Pintard also noted that the existence of shanty or irregular communities in The Bahamas must be addressed with urgency by this government.

Pintard said that he plans to move Parliament to establish a select committee to have fulsome examinations of the issues associated with the challenges of illegal migration, especially from Haiti.