Haitians in Grand Bahama responded to the wrongful detention of 179 immigrants who were suspected of being in the country illegally, saying that the blunder pointed to the discrimination often experienced by their community.
The migrants were apprehended in a round-up conducted last weekend in North Eleuthera. Out of the 193 migrants who were brought to New Providence, authorities were forced to release 179 after it was determined they were in the country legally.
The incident has sparked a heated debate, with some praising immigration minister Shane Gibson for the “crackdown” and others saying he ought to apologise for the foul-up. Reports of the incident have also been forwarded to the human rights watch-dog group Amnesty International.
Bolivar Gustave, who was born in Abaco but is of Haitian descent, said it is only a matter of time before such “injustices will end” and Haitians will return to their homeland.
“Every prayer has an Amen. Maybe the situation in Haiti also,” Mr. Gustave told The Bahama Journal.
“There is no place like home and Haiti is the home of all Haitians, so anything [good] happen in Haiti, you don’t have to tell us go, we will go.”
Mr. Gustave, who says he has lived in The Bahamas for 45 years, said that while he understands that Mr. Gibson has a job to do, he hopes that other members of the immigration team are also doing their jobs.
He claimed that it is well known that Haitians have been “exploited” and “taken advantage of” in The Bahamas.
“We know that but we have to take [it]. We don’t have any choice but when we finally have a choice we will not take it,” Mr. Gustave said.
He said that Haitians have provided much in the way of employment in The Bahamas and have contributed in many ways.
Mr. Gustave said that if all Haitians were to leave The Bahamas, some in the community would suffer and ask for their return.
Jetta Baptiste, an entrepreneur of Haitian descent, said she was saddened by the events.
“Haitians are always the whipping dog. Haitians are always being abused. Haitians are always being the victims and it is not fair and it’s not right,” said Ms. Baptiste, who feels the government has not competently dealt with the immigration issue.
“Yes, it is a political issue. Yes, it is an economic issue. Yes, we understand what games are being played. [No], we are not happy with it. In time, one day all things are going to change,” Ms. Baptiste told The Journal.
Given that immigration is a hot button issue all over the world, Ms. Baptiste said she expected Bahamian officials to have a better handle on the local problem.
While many said they understood the need to control the influx of Haitians, Darin Nixon, a Haitian journalist who has been living in the Bahamas for the past five years, said more is expected from a country “purporting Christian values.”
He said political leaders who value Christian principles should know the best means of addressing the immigration problem.
“What I like in The Bahamas is that there are leaders who believe in God, so now that you believe in God you have the Bible in your hands- It doesn’t mean that because you have the Bible you have to deal with everybody good, good, good, it means that you will have a way to be compassionate to other people,” Mr. Nixon told The Journal.
He lamented the fact that so many persons with legal status were treated unfairly during last week’s round up and said that should never have happened.
Michel Dersosier, a young barber of Haitian descent who was born in the Bahamas, said Bahamians in general put all Haitians in one category, despite their status.
Mr. Dersosier, who said his family has been living in the Bahamas for the past 50 years, advised Haitians to speak up so that others can have respect for them.
“Even though we come here, we don’t come to bring nothing bad to this country. We are trying to help our families, like everyone else,” said Mr. Dersosier.
“It is just discrimination, when something like that happens, what happened in Eleuthera.”
President of the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association (GBHRA) Fred Smith condemned last weekend’s round up, describing the tactics used in the exercise as “Gestapo-like.”
“Each of the 179 immigrants who were unlawfully arrested are entitled to sue the Bahamas government for assault, battery, false imprisonment and breaches of their Constitutional rights and obtain damages, punitive damages, and constitutional damages against the government for this arbitrary behaviour,” Mr. Smith said in a statement released yesterday.
While acknowledging the challenge illegal immigration presents to the Bahamas, Mr. Smith called on the government to observe the Rule of Law and due process in its efforts to manage the issue.
“In enforcing our laws, we call upon the government to do so humanely, respectfully and in a dignified and civilised manner,” Mr. Smith said.
By: Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
