Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday that he was advised that some 15 Bahamians bound from Nassau and Grand Bahama to the United States were “turned around” because they failed to produce a valid U. S. visa and attempted to travel on police records.
In its announcement, the U.S. embassy said it was pleased that the decision was made “to lift the state of authorised departure of its employees and dependants now that Hurricane Isabel is no longer threatening The Bahamas.”
As Hurricane Isabel posed a threat to The Bahamas, the U.S. embassy and the Department of Homeland Security in Washington on Sunday closed the facility and furloughed employees.
But on Monday when it was determined that The Bahamas was out of harm’s way, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials requested an “urgent” review of the closure.
Mr. Mitchell also said Tuesday that the meeting might have had some effect on the decision to re-open the pre-clearance facilities.
“Their position was that they would review it every 48 hours. We wanted to impress upon them the urgency of the matter for The Bahamas, and I think they understood the point,” the Minister said.
Also, during the initial closure, the Embassy assured that arrangements had been made with airlines servicing the United States to avoid “any inconvenience or disruption” of Bahamians’ travel plans.
According to a Bahamasair marketing department spokesman, the national flag-carrier’s sales were not affected, but it was understood that the withdrawal of the facilities may have dissuaded a number of prospective travelers.
According to Mr. Mitchell, “I went down to the airport myself and spoke to the airlines. They said that they had a couple of people call in and asked what the position was, and, in turn, they told them not to bother to come.”
During the temporary closure period, the embassy’s consular section remained open to “expeditiously process” visa applications for Bahamians with valid passports.
In their statement, U.S. officials said they appreciated the understanding and cooperation of the Bahamian travelling public during the temporary, precautionary closure of the facilities due to hurricane forecasts.
A Bahamas-USA Pre-clearance agreement allows passengers traveling from designated Bahamian airports to be treated as domestic passengers when they arrive in the United States.
By Khashan Poitier, The Nassau Guardian
