In the roundup, 187 immigrants were arrested in the early morning hours in North Eleuthera and taken to The Carmichael Road Detention Centre. But out of that group, 166 had to be released, as they had legal documents. In Exuma, 176 individuals were arrested but 65 were released because they too had the necessary documents. However, out of the 86 immigrants apprehended on Ragged Island, all were said to be “illegals.”
Some of the immigrants told the media that police officers entered their homes and handcuffed them without search warrants.
It was on this information that Mr Bethel told talk show host Wendall Jones that lawlessness should not be condoned under any circumstances.
“We have to govern this country according to the law. There is something known as illegal search and seizure,” he said.
“The Corruption Branch of the Police knows this,: Immigration knows this and their rules preclude them from illegal search and seizure,” he added.
However, most of the [criminally-minded] callers to the show commended newly appointed Immigration Minister Shane Gibson for the roundup, saying illegal immigration was placing a strain on the country’s limited resources. When Mr Gibson assumed the post in late February, he warned illegals that if they fail to leave the country voluntarily, they would be “captured and repatriated”.
But Mr Bethel said instead of conducting early morning roundups, the Immigration Department should seek out illegals on jobsites. “The fact of the matter is that very often, the Police and Immigration are able to act with impunity because the people who are abused very often do not lodge a complaint,” he said, adding, “And the problem [occurs] when a government decides that it will pander to hysteria.”
Mr Jones hit back saying, “But you hear from the calls that they want the immigration officers, the police officers and the minister to have a carte blanche on arresting people. And like somebody said yesterday: shoot and ask questions later.”
Mr Bethel interjected, “We’re in The Bahamas and this is the year 2006 and those people who want lynch law, vigilantism and impunity, they are just simply wrong and I don’t care whether they are in the majority or the vocal minority.”
By MINDELL SMALL Guardian Senior Reporter
