Munroe: Ingraham has no record to talk about on immigration

As of Friday, May 8, 2026

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe accused the FNM yesterday of using former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham to prop up Michael Pintard’s leadership.

He also argued that Mr Ingraham has no formidable record on immigration and that the Davis administration has taken stronger enforcement action than previous administrations.

Mr Munroe made the comments after Mr Ingraham raised concerns about the number of foreigners allegedly found with fraudulent Bahamian passports and other government-issued documents.

“You judge somebody on their record,” he said. “Mr Ingraham has no record to talk about immigration. Brave Davis has a record to talk about immigration, settling down entries by whipping the Royal Bahamas Defense Force troops with more interceptors in repatriating, deporting more people than any other administration has in history, including Mr Ingraham.”

Mr Munroe also attacked Mr Pintard’s leadership, suggesting the opposition’s use of Mr Ingraham showed a lack of confidence in the FNM leader.

“I understand that they feel that Mr Pintard can't do it on his own, and they have to bring back the old war horse,” he said. “I think that just sets out what everybody knows, that Michael Pintard isn’t fit to be prime minister of The Bahamas, and if he needs to be propped up by Hubert Ingraham, so be it.”

Responding to Mr Ingraham’s criticism of the PLP’s so-called lack of outrage over forged court documents and passports, Mr Munroe said the government had focused on arrests and prosecutions rather than rhetoric.

“The difference is this, they did nothing about it,” he said, referring to the FNM. “That was happening during their tenure, during Ingraham's tenure, during Minnis tenure, you did not see the efficiency in detecting it and prosecuting them.”

“You know how I prefer to show my outrage about you having a forged document? I prefer to show it by locking you up, by putting you before the courts and sending you to jail.”

“That's how we should demonstrate our outrage to people who do that, and we've committed that after we succeed this election, increasing the penalty for public servants who participate in that sort of activity.”

“They're good at outrage, which is theatrics. We're good at action, which is catching the perpetrators and calling them to account. My cousin Pintard is an actor, so he's big on theatrics.”

Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell also dismissed Mr Ingraham’s appearance at FNM political events.

“He is seeking neither the Office of Prime Minister nor any other public position,” Mr Mitchell said. “At this stage, what he says or does is best characterized as tedious irrelevance.”

Mr Mitchell said the FNM’s use of Mr Ingraham reflected poorly on Mr Pintard’s leadership.

“Michael Pintard is running for prime minister, not Hubert Ingraham,” he said. “It says a great deal about the state of the FNM that they have had to bring someone back from the FNM graveyard to save their political souls. The man who sold BTC in a fire sale, resulting in lost jobs, poor phone service, and one of the worst phone systems in the Caribbean, can hardly prescribe public policy for our country.”

He added that Bahamian voters had already judged Mr Ingraham’s political legacy.

“The Bahamian people took a chance on Hubert Ingraham three times as Prime Minister,” Mr Mitchell said. “Having tried unsuccessfully to block Brave Davis from becoming prime minister, he is now engaged in another bitter exercise, seeking to block others from that office. Michael Pintard should stop hiding behind the ghost of Christmas past and defend his own worthless, jingoistic policies.”

PLP spokesman Latrae Rahming also accused the FNM of leaning on Mr Ingraham.

“Instead of presenting a clear vision for the future, they are borrowing credibility from the past,” he said. “This election is about who can lead The Bahamas through uncertain times, protect progress, and move the country forward with steady leadership.”

“The FNM knows this election cannot be won on Michael Pintard’s leadership alone. That is why the focus keeps shifting everywhere else except him.”

TalRussell 1 week, 5 days ago

My full disclosure so as to ensure both me as well as the Security Minister's commentary on the 2026 National Election, remains balanced, fair, and avoids running "amok," establishing a structured, principle-based approach is crucial towards the living and departed deaded. Respectfully:
Roland "Pop" Symonette . LO “Black Moses" Pindling . Hubert "Papa" Ingraham . Brave "Daddy" Davis.
There actually was... .. "Sweet Papa" HRH The Duke of Windsor Royal Governor of the Bahama Islands (Formerly His Majesty King of the England Kingdom).

birdiestrachan 1 week, 5 days ago

It is their papa who said as I stand.the hotel is open the woman screamed.it was her mortgage or rent school fees and daily survival they did not give them their money in cheque they had to go each week. Their papa gave away BTC. In 1992 GB descended into the abyss Check the records. The.Fnm papa brings.back bad Memories and night mares

licks2 1 week, 5 days ago

My my. . .they pulled papa into the gutter with them aye?? I know "PAPA" still carry some "juice" in this here town. . .but he done gone and gee MP the biggest cut-azz of his campaign!! Papa them think MP een man enough to carry he own load aye??

LastManStanding 1 week, 4 days ago

Firstly, the fact that people are taking issue with Ingraham campaigning for the FNM shows how politically ignorant the average Bahamian is. Did Americans complain when Obama or Clinton campaigned of behalf of Biden or Kamala? The Trump era GOP has less of it considering the Bushs Romney etc are not Trump fans but nonetheless it's pretty standard across the world for retired political figures to come out in support of the current political candidates. There's nothing abnormal about that at all.

That said Munroe is completely right albeit the PhellP is no better and has no room to talk. Both of these clownshow parties have completely failed us on immigration and have played the whore and Judas selling our nation out for 30 pieces of silver. As much as I am grateful for and appreciate some of the necessary reforms Ingraham brought to this country Abaco is a living indictment of his failure on immigration policy. We are overwhelmed with Haitians and foreigners on this island and I wouldn't be surprised if Bahamians become a minority on this island and cays by 2050 if we aren't already. Just the other night I was browsing one of the local Elbow Cay facebook groups and there was a question regarding long term housing on the cay and sure enough one of these disgusting second homeowners replied that there was none and that they were glad there wasn't. Who do these people think they are? Elbow Cay is not even Bahamian anymore, it's full of nothing but Haitian shacks and foreign owned second homes everywhere looking to farm AirBNB and VRBO money. Half of Guana Cay is inaccessible to the average local. Go the south in communities like BPS or Casuarina and now the foreigners are buying up property there and will soon try to drive locals out of there so where are we supposed to go? If Bahamians don't wake up we aren't going to have a country to live in very soon. There has to be controlled and sustainable development of our islands otherwise we are just going to be creating a giant demographic and land mess. How are young people supposed to build lives and start families in these conditions? I say all of this as a descendent of Wyannie Malone with some lines of my family going back to Eleuthera before that so I have more rights than most to voice my concern about these things. The sons of the soil are becoming second class citizens and I don't like it one bit.

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