On Wednesday in Parliament, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hubert Minnis, addressing immigrants in irregular migratory situations in the archipelago, mostly Haitians, said "We are a country of laws and our rules regarding illegal immigrants will be respected. However, they will be carried out in a humane way [...] Therefore, all immigrants in an irregular migration situation must leave of their own or they will be forced to do so," underlining that he had already had discussions with officials of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on this issue.

Attorney General Carl Bethel said, Legal immigrants who have lost their jobs in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian must return to their country, even if their work permit is not yet expired. He also recalled that applicants for work permits in the Bahamas had to apply from their country of origin for the first time, stating that work permits are not transferable from employer to employer.

Let's remember that at the beginning of the week Elsworth Johnson, the Bahamas' Immigration Minister, warned that foreigners in irregular migration situations or found without a paper (even if they are legal in the Bahamas), might be deported to the country. their country of origin, even if they are refugees in shelters.

Note that the IOM in 2015 estimated that 18% of the Bahamas population was composed of migrants living in irregular migration territory, including 20,000 to 50,000 Haitians, a number that has since increased considerably.

The Bahamas Human Rights Group has criticized the Government's decision on illegal immigrants and described the Executive's plan as "wild, ruthless and illegal".

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28904-haiti-flash-after-the-passage-of-dorian-the-haitians-without-paper-in-the-bahamas-risk-the-expulsion.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28809-haiti-flash-the-government-recognizes-not-having-the-ressources-to-help-the-haitian-victims-in-the-bahamas.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28767-haiti-flash-bahamas-more-than-300-haitians-missing-after-the-passage-of-dorian.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28703-haiti-flash-the-record-of-dorian-likely-to-be-very-heavy-in-the-haitian-community-in-the-bahamas.html

SL/ HaitiLibre