Cubans beaten in detention centre/Bahamas minister promises changes
CUBAN ARRIVALS FROM BAHAMAS ALLEGE BEATINGS AND SEXUAL ABUSES
By Alberto de la Cruz From Babalublog.com
The first Cubans to arrive in Miami from a notorious migrant detention center in Bahamas this month alleged Friday that guards regularly beat some of the male inmates and sexually abused some of the women.
One of the women repatriated from the center to Cuba earlier this month arrived pregnant by a guard, according to the Democracy Movement, a Miami group that has been helping the undocumented migrants detained in Nassau.
The movement led a string of protests against the Bahamas government this summer after detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre smuggled out cell phone images of inmates sewing their lips together in protest and an alleged guard kicking prisoners.
Randy Rodriguez, 31, his wife Misleidy Olivera, 30, and their two children were the first detainees to speak in person to journalists about conditions at the center after they arrived in Miami on a flight from Nassau.
“That video is real, and after the video came the beatings” by guards as punishment for the negative publicity, said Rodriguez.
Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell has said the video is a fake, though Bahamas news media reports this week indicate it is real. He said recently that the allegations are under investigation.
“I wish to say that no one from the Bahamas government has admitted that there was any abuse of detainees by the Bahamas government,” he said in an Aug. 18 statement.
Detainee Alexander Vásquez said he suffered a punctured lung from two broken ribs and his brother suffered a cut on his head that required 17 stitches in a hospital. Rodriguez said he still has a lump on his forehead, from a kick, that refuses to go away.
One night the guards tear gassed the wards to force everyone outside despite a heavy rain and then kept them, face down on the ground and lined up should-to-shoulder, from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., he said.
One hefty guard then counted the inmates, twice, by walking on their backs, each step counting one prisoner, he added.
For more on this story go to:
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Five Defence Force Officers Have Admitted To Abusing Cuban Detainees in Bahamas
By Khrisna Virgil Tribune 242 From Cuba Democracia Y Vida August 27, 2013
The Free National Movement Says Five Defence Force Officers Have Admitted To Abusing Cuban Detainees
FIVE Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers have admitted to abusing Cuban detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre by way of written statements, according to the Free National Movement.
The confessions, FNM shadow Foreign Affairs minister Hubert Chipman said, were expected to see those officers face a RBDF panel at a summary trial last week. However, the hearing was cancelled indefinitely, he said.
“The government must be held accountable and they must come clean,” Mr Chipman said, “This matter has gone on for far too long causing the Bahamas embarrassment.
“At any given time, on every shift, there are 10 Defence Force officers and four immigration officers on duty. The same was the case when this incident took place. I can tell you that five of those 10 have confessed in written and signed statements.
“The Christie administration would have done well to admit that the incident happened and punished those responsible. But instead they have chosen to conceal the findings of an investigation led by the police and defence force. It was completed a long time ago.”
But Fred Mitchell, Foreign Affairs Minister Foreign Affairs Minister, chastised Mr Chipman for the allegations. The Minister in an email to The Tribune said that the statement stands to compromise the outcome of an ongoing probe, which is still weeks from completion.
“You have read what our statement says and there is nothing further to add by way of a comment from me. The FNM by their irresponsible conduct in this matter may well jeopardise the outcome of an inquiry and the question of a fair hearing . I certainly do not want part of their tomfoolery,” Mr Mitchell said.
When The Tribune contacted RBDF spokesman, Lieutenant Origin Deleveaux he said he could not comment on whether a summary trial concerning officer’s conduct in allegations of Cuban detainee abuse had been cancelled.
He told this newspaper: “It is a normal occurrence for summary trials at the base. They are a part of the military justice system for marines who are in breach of our regulations. I cannot comment on what you are asking because I am outside of that system as I work out of headquarters along side the Commodore (Roderick Bowe). He remains detached from summary trials until the event that an appeal is launched. The Commodore must remain neutral.”
Another call was placed to base RBDF legal advisor 1st lieutenant Shawn Adderley. However, he refused comment. When The Tribune attempted to question Lt Adderley he said : “Why are you contacting me about this? You need to call the Commodore.”
Several attempts were made to reach the Commodore at his office, but they were unsuccessful up to press time.
For more on this story go to:
http://www.cubademocraciayvida.org/web/article.asp?artID=22270
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Cuban Ambassador responds to FNM and DNA comments
Monday, 26 August 2013 11:57
H.E. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán Response from the Ambassador of Cuba, H.E. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán to the statements made by Mr. Branville McCartney, Leader of the Democratic National Alliance and Mr. Duane Sands, Deputy Chairman of the Free National Movement.
Dear Mr. McCartney and Mr. Sands:
Regarding your recent comments related with Cuba, I will like to comment some of the points highlighted in your statements.
I don’t know if you are aware that since January 14th, 2013, Cuba started implementing new regulations made to its Migratory Law, allowing any Cuban national to travel abroad with the only requirement of having an updated passport and the visa of the country that person is visiting. Cuban nationals travel abroad freely as any individual around the world.
Now, it happens to be that, in relation with those Cuban nationals that want to visit United States something very different takes place. Unfortunately, most of the times, the requests of visa to travel to United States is denied by the American Office of Interest in Havana, and it happens more than one time to a single person, mostly if that person is not a high qualify professional . This fact pushes some to try to reach American territory illegally and by any means.
Why Cuban nationals continue to be willing to travel illegally to the United States, despite knowing all the dangerous experiences they may go through during their journey? The answer is simple: the United States has a privileged migratory policy addressed only to Cuban migrants.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the “Wet Foot, Dry Foot Policy”. Like you know it is the name given to a consequence of the 1995 revision of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that says, essentially, that anyone who fled Cuba and got into the United States would be allowed to pursue residency a year later. A year later!!! So the questions are ¿Are Cuban immigrants better than any other immigrants? ¿Are there better and worse immigrants? I could continue giving you details on the American migratory policy towards Cuban nationals by that´s something we can deal with some other time.
None of the Cuban illegal migrants that arrive to Bahamian territory or anywhere else are political refugees, none of them. What takes them to go travel abroad is their individual will and desire of improving their economic situation, something that is not typical of these times we are living. Migratory movements, whatever their objectives, is a historic issue, experienced by all societies so far.
In relation with the fate of those Cuban nationals involved in Repatriation processes from the Bahamas to Cuba. Allow me to said that even Congress officials from Florida and the most bitter media have recognized that Cuban nationals does not experience any kind of persecution or imprisonment once they return to their country. You can follow up this issue in recent declaration to the press of the officials I am referring here.
On this regard, I continue waiting for any individual or the media itself, to give me a name of a single Cuban national that has suffered persecution or imprisonment after being return to Cuba through a repatriation process.
One more point, concerning the Repatriation process between Cuba and the Bahamas, let me make clear that all of them, have been performed under both, Memorandum of Understanding on Illegal Migration signed between Cuba and The Bahamas in 1988 and 1996, and each and every single of these exercises have been taking place since then, including the period in which Mr. McCartney was serving as the Minister responsible for Immigration, during the last FNM government.
The staff at the Cuban Embassy to The Bahamas is very aware of the Cuban nationals at the Detention Center and their living conditions. This can be proved through the many requests to visit the Detention center made to the Department of Immigration as well as to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas. Only in 2013, our Embassy has paid 8 visits to that facility besides dealing with the huge amounts of emails and phone calls from the relatives that are housed there. Moreover, our Embassy maintains constant communication with the proper Bahamian authorities on this subject of common interest.
Dear Mr. McCartney and Mr. Sands, your consideration and appreciation are returned since I also have both of you in high esteem. Remember that anything that can damage the image of Cuba to the world will always be used and over exaggerated by the political right wing in Florida. It will be very naïve and mistaken to emit comments on the Cuban reality without living in our country or, more important, without knowing the history of the relationship between Cuba and the United States in depth.
As I said before, we can talk about it a lot more whenever you wish.
Sincerely yours,
H.E. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán
Ambassador
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba
PS: Almost forgot, one more tiny detail, every year the majority of Cuban nationals that travel by legal means abroad returns to Cuba. Why would they want to go back to a communist country that continuously harasses its inhabitants?
Related story:
Minister Mitchell updates local media on Immigration issues
From BahamasIslandsinfo Monday, 26 August 2013 09:52
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell (centre) speaks at a press conference, on August 25, 2013, as the Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary Cleola Hamilton and Permanent Secretary Philip Miller look on. (BIS Photo / Eric Rose)NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell said at a press conference on Sunday, August 25, 2013, that he will leave for Washington, D.C. the following day for meetings at The Bahamas Embassy there and at the U.S. State Department.
“I shall also visit the United Nation mission of The Bahamas in New York, then our consulate in Atlanta,” Minister Mitchell said. “I shall meet with the staff of the consulate in Miami on Friday.
“The purpose of this is to brief all staff on the recent events, to introduce the new Ambassadors and to speak with the U S State Deportment about new proposals to deal with the current issues.”
Minister Mitchell added that he spoke with the Justice of Appeal (retired) that morning, along with Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, and they are in the process of settling the terms of reference of the review of the investigation that they expect within a week. He said that they are seeking to have the review of that matter settled within 30 days thereafter.
“A negotiating team will leave The Bahamas as early as the coming weekend to meet with the Cuban authorities in Havana with a view to settling the modalities of how there can be a quicker turnaround of migrants to Cuba,” Minister Mitchell said. “We expect that a new agreement will be in place shortly.”
Minister Mitchell stated that he would meet the Cuban Foreign Minister in Grenada in early September to discuss the matters directly.
“We began discussions with the Acting Foreign Minister when the National Security Minister and I met in Havana earlier in the month,” he added. “We have had helpful discussions within the past week with the Government of Panama.
“Our mandate is to ensure that the Detention Centre is empty of inhabitants, migrants, detainees as much as humanly possible.”
Minister Mitchell said that, in the meantime, the facility is being repaired and, in a few weeks, the Ministry of Health will be supervising an effort to sanitise and paint the existing dorms.
“This will require those who are detained at the detention centre be housed at the prison until the sanitation is done,” Minister Mitchell said. “We are seeking to ensure that these numbers are at a minimum.”
Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell (centre) speaks at a press conference, on August 25, 2013, as the Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary Cleola Hamilton and Permanent Secretary Philip Miller look on. (BIS Photo / Eric Rose)
For more on this story go to:
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FNM responds to PM Christie
Sunday, 25 August 2013 15:18
The Free National Movement stands by its statements surrounding the Cuban Detainee Incident and repeats its call for the Government to immediately make public the findings of the investigation into the incident including steps being taken to ensure that similar infractions by officers posted at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre do not occur.
This is especially urgent so as to ensure that the May, 2013, incident involving a small number of Immigration and or Defence Force Officers at the Detention Centre is not permitted to besmirch the good character of the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers assigned to the Detention Centre or to damage the reputation of The Bahamas as a responsible member of the international community of nations.
The FNM believes that the lust for power has so impacted the Prime Minister that he has come to believe that he and his government are above criticism. The Prime Minister needs to be reminded that he is a servant of the people and not lord and master.
Unfortunately, the prime minister is increasingly adopting the style of petty dictators. He is undisturbed for example, that his motorcade through our city streets, frequently accompanied by siren-blaring police motorcyclists and or SUVs, is offensive and inconvenient to thousands of Bahamians peacefully using our roadways. This is especially annoying of course because citizens know that the hullabaloo is being created simply to move Mr. Christie between his home and office or to some event for which he is inevitably late – like on Friday past when he kept members of the media waiting for more than 1 ½ hours arriving after 11 a.m. for a 9:30: m. tour of the new Domestic Terminal nearing completion at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.
The Prime Minister is only happy when he is holding court as he did at his recent extravagant birthday bash where all the “faithful” were required to come and pay homage as they “hailed the chief”. He is not about the job of governing. That is why last Thursday he chose to attend a beauty pageant and to be photographed with attractive young girls rather than attend a major public crime forum where Bahamians were recounting their concerns with out of control crime and the seeming failure of existing anti-crime programmes and initiatives to turn the tide.
Prime Minister Christie needs to start performing his job and stop embarrassing our country. It is not enough to say that he knows nothing about every query put to him by a journalist and to iterate some mumbo jumbo about having someone else look into every matter raised with him. Nothing about the business of our country seems to fall in the prime minister’s portfolio. What is worse, he sometimes seems confused about who in his government has been made responsible for what.
He now says that he is awaiting a report on the Detention Centre incident from the Minister for National Security; but the Detention Centre falls within the portfolio of his Minister of Foreign Affairs! The prime minister cannot expect us to believe his claim, that three months after the incident, his government is still awaiting a report about an incident that occurred in a government facility where the record of individuals on duty at the material time is easily available – not more than 10 or 12 officers on a shift. Similarly, the number of individuals who would have been involved in treating patients in the Princess Margaret Hospital Emergency and Accident Department at the material time would be very small.
The admitted delay in obtaining this incident report, if true, is symptomatic of this incompetent Christie-led administration. And, if not true, as we believe, then the prime minister is continuing an apparent cover-up of the events. This is the height of incompetence. We could hardly be surprised that he has found it difficult to select appropriate candidates for our most important diplomatic offices. Beijing, we understand, is still without an ambassador.
If what Mr. Christie really wants is a ceremonial position filled with photo-ops while touring the infrastructural accomplishments of his FNM predecessors in office, posing with visiting celebrities and bragging about his supposed physical prowess he should resign his office, accept some PR post with his political party and leave the job of running our country to those who are serious about governance.
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DNA commentary: Let calm and sensible heads prevail with the Cubans
Friday, 23 August 2013 08:34
For the most part, when Cuban nationals come to the Bahamas or the United States they are in search of certain freedoms they do not enjoy in their own country. They are in search of Democracy and they seek political asylum. Unlike other countries in this region the Cuban government is very reluctant for their citizens to leave their country. We have heard just recently from the President of Haiti that visited our Prime Minister on his birthday that persons leave Haiti in search of employment. This seems to be encouraged by the Haitian government unlike Cuba. When Cubans who are seeking political asylum are sent back to Cuba we do not know what a communist country does to those persons. The Democratic National Alliance believes that this is indeed a very sensitive issue and moving forward, we as a country must look at and consider this issue of political asylum in greater detail.
The allegations of abuse that have been made by the Cubans most recently are very concerning for our country. It has sparked international attention, particularly in Florida where there has been demonstrations against the Bahamas. There was a video presented depicting the alleged abuse and there have been placards and billboards throughout South Florida attacking our country and our Prime Minister and asserting that persons “boycott” the Bahamas. This is not good for our country and a resolution must be had as soon as possible.
We in the DNA do not believe that any government of the Bahamas, past or present, condones abuse or torture of any persons, whether they are here legally or otherwise. We have seen where our governments, past and present, have really bent over backwards to accommodate those persons coming to the Bahamas illegally. Having the honour and privilege to serve for 2 1/2 years as the Minister responsible for Immigration in the Bahamas, although there were allegations of abuse and inhumane treatment, I can say with certainty that I did not see any abuse or inhumane treatment. Abuse and inhumane treatment would not have been allowed under the former administration and I am quite certain that it is not allowed under the present administration. It is not the Bahamian governments, past and present, mandate to abuse foreign nationals in any form or fashion! They do not set an agenda for that to happen.
The Bahamian people generally are peaceful, loving people. We are not aggressive in our approach. We do not wish harm on anybody.
The government has indicated that since an allegation has been made by the Cubans, they have caused an investigation to be conducted. The Prime Minister of our country has personally indicated that abuse of any kind will not be tolerated and if there is abuse, let the chips fall where they may! We believe that the government must be given the opportunity to do its job in this regard. Thoroughly investigate the situation. Liaise with the good Ambassador for Cuba, His Excellency Ernesto Soberon Guzman, who I have had the privilege of meeting and hold in very high esteem. Ensure that there is an open dialog with the Cuban representatives in Florida. Resolve their festering concerns through proper conversation. Speak with the Official Opposition so that we are all on one accord when we liaise with the international community. It is necessary that we as a country ensure that the international community is most aware that we do not tolerate abuse of any kind against anyone. And we must speak in one voice to this effect.
We in the DNA trust that calm and sensible heads will prevail in order to expeditiously resolve this issue regarding our Cuban brothers and sisters.
– Branville McCartney
DNA Leader
Related story:
Repatriation of 8 Cuban detainees
Thursday, 22 August 2013 07:17
NASSAU, Bahamas — The Department of Immigration wishes to advise the general public that eight Cuban Nationals were successfully repatriated to Havana, Cuba this morning, 21st August 2013, at 10 am.
They were detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
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FNM statement: Cover-up by Foreign Affairs Minister
Thursday, 22 August 2013 07:07
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE FNM LEADER, HUBERT MINNIS
We are here today to report to the Bahamian people on a major cover-up that the Free National Movement has uncovered. It is a cover-up of international proportions and one that has the potential to damage for many years our relationship with our long-standing friend and ally, the United States of America.
In recent times the public became aware of a video being circulated purporting to show that a group of Cubans detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre had been physically and verbally abused by officers of the Centre. The emergence of the video was a cause of significant concerns both locally and abroad. Alarm bells rang in the South Florida, Cuban-American community and in Washington DC among the legislators who pay close attention to immigration matters.
At the time the video emerged the Free National Movement stood in solidarity with government and emphasized the point that the official policy of The Bahamas Government is that we do not abuse persons in detention. At that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell made a public commitment to undertake an investigation into the matter. We supported that approach.
Bahamians will be aware that in the aftermath of the video‘s release, The Bahamas has been the subject of public demonstrations in South Florida. In addition to the demonstrations, senior US congresspersons have made direct pleas to The Bahamas government to undertake an investigation and to give a full report of that investigation.
To date, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has not given a full and honest account of what took place at the Detention Centre on May 20th, 2013. The FNM has examined this issue closely.
I now report on what we found out:
In the early hours of May 20, 2013 there was an attempted escape from the Detention Centre by seven Cuban detainees. This escape attempt was prevented. As punishment for the attempted escape, at least five detainees were physically abused to a severe degree. The abuse was so significant that three of the detainees had to be taken to the PMH for treatment. One person was detained and two others returned to the Detention Centre.
Following the beatings, the remaining detainees performed and videotaped a reenactment of the earlier beatings. Our information is that the reenactment was facilitated with the assistance of one or more defence force officers who provided the fatigues for the actors in the performance.
The FNM has been further advised that several senior government officials and Ministers became aware fairly early that a major instance of abuse had in fact taken place. There was at least one major meeting of senior law enforcement officers and cabinet ministers who were briefed as to what had transpired. As a result of that briefing, a more intensive investigation was ordered.
We are now aware that the report of the government’s preliminary investigation has been completed and is in circulation. This has been completed from as early as late June. It is now late August.
Despite becoming aware that a serious instance of abuse had taken place, the Minister of foreign affairs has continued to use well-chosen language to mislead the public.
Minister Mitchell continued to use strong, combative and undiplomatic language intended to deflect attention from the underlying legitimacy of the issue raised by the demonstrators. He had multiple opportunities to tell the Bahamian people and the international community the full truth of what had transpired. Instead, he has chosen to engage in a full-fledged cover-up.
It has now become clear that minister Mitchell has exhausted every ounce of credibility as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The FNM is appalled at the dismal mismanagement of our country’s foreign interests by Minister Mitchell.
We call on Prime Minister Christie to
Dismiss Fred Mitchell from his cabinet forthwith.
Release the full and unedited reports of all investigations that have been conducted to date.
Related story:
Bahamas claims that video of Cubans being kicked is fraudulent
By Juan O. Tamayo From ElNuevo Herald.com
A video purporting to show a Bahamian guard kicking Cuban migrants detained in Nassau has been branded a forgery by the Nassau government but sparked a call for a protest Wednesday at the Bahamas consulate in Miami.
The video was taken with a hidden cellular phone by one of the 30 Cubans held in the Nassau Detention Center, according to the Spanish-language television channel América TeVé in Miami, which first broadcast it on Friday.
The Miami-based Democracy Movement urged protesters to honk their car and truck horns as they drive past the Bahamian consulate in downtown Miami starting at noon on Wednesday.
Cuban migrants intercepted by Bahamian authorities on their way to U.S. shores and detained in Nassau have long complained of abuses, from beatings by guards to rats, lice and cockroaches in the detention center. Most are eventually deported to Cuba.
Fred Mitchell, Bahamas minister of foreign affairs and immigration, issued a statement dismissing the video as “a complete falsehood and an outrageous concoction” and “a manufactured attempt to create a damaging and defamatory impression of The Bahamas.”
He added that the video shows no faces, that the accent of the “guard” heard screaming at the Cubans is not Bahamian and that its setting does not appear to match the interior of the Nassau Detention Center.
“We have had the video examined by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and it is being further reviewed by the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” Mitchell said in the statement, published over the weekend on the Website of the Bahamas Weekly.
America TeVe broadcast gruesome photos in early June, also taken with cell phones, of some of the Cuban detainees in Nassau who sewed their lips together to protest the center’s conditions and their detention. One put a lock through his upper and lower lips.
The video purports to show a guard retaliating for the publication of those photos. It shows the lower half of someone wearing camouflaged pants and black military boots kicking and stomping on what seem like four Cuban detainees cowering on the floor.
One male voice is heard shouting “This is my country!”
America TeVe on Friday also quoted one Cuban detainee as saying that the group had been beaten severely, and broadcast still photos of one Cuban bleeding from the face and another showing a baton-shaped red welt across his bare back.
Mitchell’s statement said the Bahamas government has “referred the matter to our lawyers” and that the Acting Consul General in Miami “has been instructed to make the strongest protest to the station over this matter.”
“The Bahamas government does not beat those in its custody. All detainees are treated with respect and in accordance with all applicable conventions and with human dignity and courtesy,” he said.
But after so thoroughly dismissing the video as a fabrication, the final paragraph of the statement said the government planned to investigate.
“A follow up investigation is being done to seek to find out if by some remote chance there is any aspect of this that bears a scintilla of truth,” he declared. “We are confident that there is no truth to it but do so out of an abundance of caution.”
For more on this story and to see video go to:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/18/3457987/bahamas-video-of-cubans-being.html
MITCHELL PROMISES CHANGES AT IMMIGRATION
From Bahamaislandsinfo
FOREIGN AFFAIRS and Immigration Minister the Hon. Fred Mitchell as he addressed a gathering at Our Lucaya, August 23. FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, the Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell said Friday (Aug 23) that in the coming weeks there will be leadership changes in Immigration throughout the country.
Minister Mitchell feels that the changes will deal with the problems of illegal aliens, those working without permits as well as documented aliens doing jobs that Bahamians could do, and in fact jobs that should be reserved for Bahamians.
The Foreign Affairs Minister was attending a Job Opportunities and Training Awareness Day Seminar sponsored by the Total Education Centre in conjunction with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Mitchell also took the opportunity to re-introduce to the Grand Bahama community, James T. Rolle, who was retired from Immigration by the former administration, and who has returned to his former post as Assistant Director of Immigration, with responsibilities for the Grand Bahama District.
The Minister told the gathering, assembled in the convention centre of the Grand Lucayan Resort, that the forum was planned by himself and Total Education Centre president, Fred Delancy, to try and change the conversation in Freeport and Grand Bahama as a whole about the immigration policies being implemented on the island.
“That was months ago and I believe, that thankfully, we have turned the corner in public opinion so that there is broad acceptance of the policy of Bahamians first,” he stated.
Minister Mitchell said since that original statement back in March and his coming to Grand Bahama almost every Friday since that time, he has had the opportunity to canvas the industrial and commercial sector to try and bring this message home that it will not be business as usual in Immigration.
“I hope that ordinary men and women, Bahamians in this city and island are finding that people are getting the message. If not please let us know,” he told the gathering.
Continuing Mr. Mitchell explained that “our concern at the time was the feeling that people wanted to plan Bahamians out of the city and island.”
He said that the Minister for Grand Bahama, Dr. Michael Darville and his colleagues, together with leaders at the Department of Immigration and the Department of Labour working with the sector have been most instrumental in turning things around.
“I want to use this opportunity to say that we will continue working in the coming days and months with the commercial sector to ensure that our policies are open, transparent and streamlined so that we can respond sensitively to the needs of that sector.
“However, it is vitally important that all companies commit to the development of Bahamians where the skills are not available in The Bahamas and in this island. The answer is training and training also comes not just in the classroom but by opportunities on the job,” he stated.
The Minister made mention of a recent visit to the Grand Bahama Shipyard and how pleased he was to see so many young Bahamians participating fully in a training programme there.
Mr. Mitchell said he had made the point early on that Bahamians cannot be looking in through the glass while others reap the benefits of the society they built.
While introducing Mr. Rolle as the new Immigration chief on Grand Bahama, Mr. Mitchell said they are happy to have his services, and that the Assistant Director will have the special responsibility of following the training regimes to make sure that industry and the commercial sector generally are adhering to the Government’s mandates of training.
Minister Mitchell noted that he has had extensive talks with Mr. Delancy, with the people who are marine pilots, with the trade unions about jobs and skills that are available in Grand Bahama.
“We will make sure that this information becomes institutionalised so that when the call is made for work permits, we will know whether or not those skills are available in Grand Bahama,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister further informed that he has spoken to the management side of the equation at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, the Grand Bahama Shipyard, Grand Bahama Power Company, Stat Oil and other companies.
“It is not going to be easy but the Government is determined that young Bahamians get an opportunity to contribute to the economy and to gain the benefits from it,” Mr. Mitchell said.
He also informed of his recent visit to Abaco where he spoke to the hotel sector, stressing that they cannot plan Bahamians out of The Bahamas.
“In that island, there are some unique matters affecting them, not the least of which is the growing illegal migrant population that appears to be completely out of hand, with no respect for the laws of our land,” he said.
Minister Mitchell added that he was shocked to find non-Bahamian vendors selling food to Bahamian workers as they embarked on their morning work journey, and that he has asked for that to be checked immediately.
Also, he drew attention to the fact that within the last few weeks, boats have been finding their way from the Republic of Haiti to New Providence and then people get away and disappear into the villages of New Providence.
“The anecdotal evidence is that this is happening in Abaco as well. In Abaco and in New Providence, there will be greater vigilance and checks within the coming weeks.
“Employers should be forewarned that anyone who is a non-national should have in their possession the evidence that they have a right to live and work in The Bahamas.
“In the coming weeks there will be a change in leadership in Immigration throughout the country to bring new faces to deal with these issues. I have also foreshadowed the creation of an Immigration Reserve Corps, to assist the regular immigration officers in their work,” Mr. Mitchell said, adding that he expects that legislation will be ready for the fall resumption of Parliament.
Further, he said as a result of the recent unlawful incursions they have been finding that unscrupulous employers have been seeking to regularise some of those people with applications for work permits.
“Please be advised that the policy is, as of now, that these permit applications will be refused.
“Unless someone can make a special case for someone who is completely new to the country, for example taking care of seniors or special children, that person will not get a work permit in categories of labourers, handymen and gardeners and live in maids.
“We mean to discourage these new people from getting any opportunity to get a work permit. They are to be apprehended and deported back to their home countries,” he stated.
Also, he noted that any country’s citizens that require a visa to come to The Bahamas can expect an Immigration Officer to ask before the application for work is processed to show that if the applicant is in The Bahamas, that applicant has the right to be in The Bahamas.
“If that applicant does not, he must leave or be deported. We mean to have a properly documented country. People have to come here to share their skills and knowledge but it must be documented,” he said.
The Minister also touched on a problem in Bimini where non-national fishermen are abusing their permission to bring their sports fishing vessels into the country.
“I have been working with the Minister of Tourism on this but this applies not only in Bimini.
“Notwithstanding any permit that is issued from the National Port Authority of The Bahamas, if a sports fisherman who is taking someone out in this country to fish from a hotel does not have permission to be gainfully employed, he is in violation of the Immigration Act. Kindly begin to govern yourself accordingly,” he warned.
The Minister also informed that in Exuma, people are reporting that tourists are being told that they do not need Bahamian guides and fishermen, that they can go out and do it themselves.
“I say it again! We must cause Bahamians to benefit from what is in our country,” The Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister stated. Photo: FOREIGN AFFAIRS and Immigration Minister the Hon. Fred Mitchell as he addressed a gathering at Our Lucaya, August 23.
For more on this story go to:http://www.bahamaislandsinfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15610:mitchell-promises-changes-at-immigration&catid=34:Bahamas%20National%20News&Itemid=147
