The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell warned that entering the United States is becoming increasingly difficult for Bahamians, saying immigration rules are growing “stricter” and more “unforgiving” with each passing week.

Mr Mitchell said the question of continued access to the United States is a recurring issue in his discussions with US officials, including the new US Ambassador, Herschel Walker, and the previous Chargé d’Affaires — now Deputy Chief of Mission — Kimberley Furnish. He pointed to the deep ties between the two countries, noting that more than 57,000 people of Bahamian ancestry live in the United States.

“When meeting the new US ambassador here, Herschel Walker, and before that, his Chargé, the one enduring question is always that Bahamians will continue to have access to the United States,” he said.

“It is still yes today, but each week there are stricter and stricter rules, unforgiving rules, and it seems to be evolving harder and harder to enter that country.”

The minister referenced the novel Wind From the Carolinas as a fictional reminder of a time when movement between The Bahamas and the United States was relatively free, and when well-known Americans frequently visited Nassau with ease.

Mr Mitchell, who earlier this month proposed that the US and The Bahamas consider implementing a formal visa-free travel treaty, said concerns about access to the US must also be viewed in the context of The Bahamas’ own labour needs. He noted persistent shortages across key sectors, including restaurants, tourism, construction, nursing and caregiving, which have fuelled calls for work permits to supplement the local workforce.

He pointed to claims that population decline between 2010 and 2022 contributed to labour pressures, but noted that preliminary results from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute’s Census of Population and Housing showed the population increased by 13.6 percent over that period, with net migration emerging as the primary driver. The census also showed that New Providence continues to grow faster than the Family Islands.

“It’s plain to see the shortage of labour and the drop in the enrollment in the schools and lawdy Miss Claudie immigration. The stats show us that without it, our economy would have serious issues,” Mr Mitchell said.

“When the government The Bahamas then argues on behalf of Bahamians for immigration into the states, it would be wise for us as Bahamians to understand the nature of our economy and that it cuts both ways.”