The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING and LEANDRA ROLLE

PRIME Minister Philip Davis said he will not at this time or ever support a House of Assembly select committee on immigration, calling it unnecessary and questioning the motivation for the committee itself.

His comments in Parliament came shortly after a motion to establish the select committee was defeated in the House of Assembly, with every government MP present voting against it.

The motion was brought by opposition leader Michael Pintard who earlier in the day had said the country is reaching a “tipping point” on immigration, adding that politicians must not “sit idly by” and hope the situation resolves itself.

Mr Davis asserted that he and his administration did not support the opposition’s proposal as sufficient action had already been taken on the issue.

“I would like to think it was a genuine view of the opposition. On our side, we are sufficiently satisfied that the appointment of a select committee to look into these matters again continues to kick the can down the road and will not bring the results that we think we can do by what we have been doing,” Mr Davis said.

“We on this side don’t see it as a necessary tool at this time and I don’t know whenever we will see it as a tool, but at this time, the time is for action not talk,” Mr Davis said.

 When he led off debate on the motion yesterday morning, Mr Pintard said growing unrest in Haiti, which is fueling increased illegal travel to The Bahamas and elsewhere, cannot be allowed to destabilise the country.

 Therefore, he said it is incumbent for policy makers to do all they can, with the help of regional partners, to minimise the crippling impact that unchecked migration from Haiti and elsewhere will bring to The Bahamas.

 “Madam Speaker, unregulated migration from Haiti or anywhere else poses challenges to our sovereign integrity, security, our healthcare system, educational system, our social services, our economy, and more,” Mr Pintard said.

“Reluctantly, as the temperature on the streets and at dinner tables from Mathew Town, Inagua to Grand Cay, Abaco, we are near the tipping point and must not sit idly by hoping and praying that this problem resolves itself.”

He added for too long, successive governments have been doing the same thing which he said has not yielded the results Bahamians had hoped for.

However, Mr Pintard said the establishment of a select committee could result in increased participation from citizens, improved policies and ultimately, change.

“Madam Speaker, we know that many Bahamians are outraged at the state of affairs but outrage, Madam Speaker, isn’t what necessarily will produce results,” he added. “It’s what we do in utilising what in many cases is righteous outrage when people believe that policymakers are engaged in conflicts that did not advance the welfare of the people on the ground.

“Today, Madam Speaker, I believe we have a chance to collaborate in this House on this matter that is so important.”

The opposition leader conceded that there must be a comprehensive plan of action to tackle the nation’s immigration problems, one that should include assistance from our international partners like CARICOM, the OAS, the UNDP, among others.

He then pointed to a list of items that he said the opposition believed should be terms of reference to the proposed select committee for the immigration crisis.

This includes the need for a thorough examination of our border security by air; Bahamian citizenship, inclusive of addressing issues such as naturalisation for those that have long been waiting, conducting an audit of all work permit holders, modification of the Nationality Act, among others.

“Madam Speaker, it is an urgent and imperative for this administration to address the irregular communities of shanty towns that exist,” he continued.

“It is important that this select committee look at all this government has been doing and proposes to do.”

He also called for the Davis administration to clarify its position on shanty towns, saying it appears that there are two different narratives painted by the government.

He said the government needed to state clearly how it intends to proceed with dealing with shanty towns.

This comes after Mr Davis addressed the nation Sunday night, outlining his administration’s policies to deal with irregular migrants and shantytowns.

In his address, Prime Minister Davis announced his government’s “Operation Secure” initiative, which he said is a collaborative security operation involving the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Department of Immigration, that will address security and migration issues.

The prime minister also pledged to take “decisive” action on shanty towns, saying residents will be required to relocate at their own expense.

However, Mr Pintard there is a need for a “housing revolution” so that persons can make a transition from shanty towns into homes.

He also called for the government to release a timeline for when it intends to move.

He continued: “Madam Speaker, the next term of reference for this select committee is there is a need for us to answer a series of questions that we have not been able to hear the government answer before.

“How many illegal migrants are in The Bahamas today? How many shanty towns are there and what is the composition of the shanty towns? How many Bahamians? What percentage of those persons in the shanty towns are Bahamians? How many of them have status and how many of them don’t have status?

“Madam Speaker, any decision that we make as a government has to answer these and other questions.”

Minister of Immigration and Labour Keith Bell also gave a contribution to the debate, saying there is already serious attention being paid to the issue of irregular immigration.

“Our aggressive efforts to protect our borders and deport those who enter our country illegally has not ceased in 2023,” Mr Bell said last night.

“In January of this year some 570 persons were repatriated, between the 1st and the 14th of February 2023, some 454 deportations were taken. Madam Speaker, this totals 1,024 deportations for the first six weeks of this year. If present irregular migration trends continue, and from all indications it will, we will experience another record-breaking year,” Mr Bell said.

He said the country currently had twice as many Cubans detained as Haitians at this time.

Concerning the matter of fake and false medical certificates being provided to the Department of Immigration, Mr Bell said that the matter has been referred to the appropriate body.

“However let me issue a warning, it takes a very long time to become a physician or an attorney under a republic, making false declarations to the Department of Immigration is a criminal offence. The Department is prepared and will prosecute such offences. To any professional providing false information to the Department of Immigration I warn you to stop,” Mr Bell said.

Mr Bell also responded to assertions from former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who last week called for an audit of work permits issued under the Davis administration.

“They were the government and exercised executive control of the government, not 10 years ago, not five years ago, but up to September 2021. The honourable member makes this request for an audit of current permits, (but) did he undertake to conduct an audit of the permits issued by his ministers of Immigration?” Mr Bell said.