Haiti the displaced are forgotten..AGAIN! - Santo Domingo

RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR

The Bahama Journal

Mitchell: Bahamas Overrun by Illegal Immigrants

By IANTHIA SMITH

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell says the international community needs to give The Bahamas more support in tackling the illegal immigration problem as The Bahamas is becoming "overrun by illegal immigrants – mainly Haitians."
As the illegal immigration situation continues to take its toll on the country, Mr. Mitchell said the best way to deal with the problem is to offer a helping hand.

Mr. Mitchell, who was a guest on JCN’s show The Platform said Bahamians also need to do more to help the country.

"I just don’t think the international community has given the country much support, and it needs more support," Mr. Mitchell said.

"And it’s important for us in CARICOM and it’s important for us in The Bahamas to lobby for that support for obvious reasons. Our country is being overrun, I would say, by illegal migrants who are coming from Haiti, who are escaping the economic conditions of that country."

He added that as successive governments have banked on the well-known immigrant round ups and raids in a bid to rid the country of illegal immigrants, "something more inventive" has to be done to tackle the vexing issue. Mr. Mitchell said, quite frankly, the country’s immigration system is simply overwhelmed, archaic and needs a major boost.

Mr. Mitchell added that as the country continues to battle the illegal immigration problem, the only way Bahamians can ever have a fighting chance is for them to revamp they way they approach the issue. He added that if something isn’t done soon, some of the country’s worst fears might be realized.

"I see it in communities throughout The Bahamas, in primary schools for example," he said. "You can have as many as 30 percent of the children in an entering class of immediate Haitian descent. Some of whom can’t speak English when they start the primary school. Pretty soon, if this keeps up, and it already exists in some schools, you’re going to have to have English taught as a second language to prepare kids to understand instructions and to be able to have the social skills to deal with it."

But Mr. Mitchell said the immigration problem could act as a double edged sword. He said given the many problems the country faces with illegal immigrants and the strain they place on the country’s resources, they do however, contribute to the system. He said the mere fact that Haitian migrants are servicing a need in the country, albeit, at the lowest level, should not be overlooked.

Mr. Mitchell added that even though the Ingraham administration is trying to drum up support for its efforts by conducting non-stop raids, he does not believe that its policy is effective, adding that they have much more work to do in addressing the problem.

"Public Relations is always good for the individual," he said. "The question is whether the public policies are actually resolving the issue and there’s no evidence on the ground that the issue is in anyway being resolved."

Edited on 3/24/2009 8:01 PM by yumnuk3.

#43 - Posted 24 March 2009, 8:01 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3319	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR Haitian women pawns in trade A group of Haitians living here in Jamaica hide their faces from our cameras. Human trafficking involving Haitians is reported as part of the drugs-for-guns trade between the two Caribbean neighbours. A group of Haitians living here in Jamaica hide their faces from our cameras. Human trafficking involving Haitians is reported as part of the drugs-for-guns trade between the two Caribbean neighbours. Poorly maintained informal communities on the island's north and south coasts have been providing a safe haven for illegal immigrants, mostly Haitian women, many of whom come via boats returning from Haiti with guns. According to Operation Kingfish, many of these immigrants are involved with the narcotics and illegal guns trade - as well as trafficking of other illegal immigrants (mostly women) into the country. And it is believed some have also become involved in criminal gangs. Gang activity "It would not be surprising if some of them were involved in gang activity because, certainly, there are drug syndicates and they would be a part of those (activities) in terms of providing some sort of support or being employed in the trade itself. "We have arrested several Haitians for illegal importation of firearms in Jamaica, among other offences," says head of Operation Kingfish, Assistant Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds. On arrival in Jamaica, they establish ties with local residents in villages that rim the fishing beaches. These include Treasure Beach, Rocky Point and Old Harbour Bay. The closed nature of these communities makes it fairly easy for them to live relatively secure. By Jamaican law, if discovered, they will be arrested and deported. "They settle in these villages because of the access to the sea. Old Harbour Bay, for instance, has a thriving community of illegal Haitian immigrants," says physical planner and public affairs commentator, Dr Carol Archer. "Most fishing villages are informal and transient. There is no formal land ownership so someone can just put down a thatch or two-by-four or a cardboard set-up and call it a home. No one will question their existence so you can easily establish communities," she adds. Starting a new life in Jamaica, Haitians operate bars or shops, or work in the construction industry, settling for meagre salaries. There have been reports that some are being paid wages as low as $250 per day. No presence According to Archer, state authorities do not go into these communities on a regular basis because of the deplorable conditions that exist. "In informal settings such as these, the social network that would question your belonging is not really intact, as you would have in more formal and settled communities, so you find that people of questionable character are able to integrate in communities that are relatively new. "The other thing is that the residents aren't going to call the police. They don't enjoy a good relationship with the state, so they are not going to report suspicious characters. Moreover, immigrants are part of the fabric that provides benefits for the community through the narcotics or illegal firearms trade," Archer adds. Illegal immigrants also pose a myriad of social problems for the state. "Most of them would be largely undereducated and unskilled, and for that reason alone they pose social challenges, and they are not going to be able to take care of themselves financially," says Hinds. The Ministry of National Security could not provide an estimate of the number of illegal Haitian immigrants in the country, but it is believed there might be in the region of hundreds living mostly on the south coast. "Also, the fact that they would have come in and they would have circumvented surveillance screening. So there are clear potential health implications," Hinds adds. Haitian immigrants were said to be linked to the importation of malaria that led to an outbreak in late 2006. "We didn't really establish a link. But we did have persons coming here with malaria, so there is a possibility that there was an importation," says director of emergency services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse. Health-care woes Insufficient health-care facilities in the communities also means that there is little health care for the illegal immigrants who may have been infected or developed diseases en route to the island. Apart from the obvious health problems though, Archer argues that the illegal immigrants pose a socio-cultural challenge to the state that could implode over time. "I am very concerned because these socio-cultural differences can, over time, serve as a source of conflict, and I think that the state must move with alacrity to deal with it because I would hate to know that this is a source of ethnic violence that we see happening elsewhere," she says. New life in Jamaica A Sunday Gleaner visit to one of the island's oldest and largest fishing villages - Old Harbour Bay - recently, confirms that human trafficking activities are rampant in this port and is linked to an active drugs-for-guns trade. "Yes man. Them carry the Haitian woman them come here even more than how them ketch (catch) fish. Even at nights them take the beach for themselves," remarks a vendor on the beach. Other persons gave similar stories, and a woman who claims to be a Haitian tells us how she got here. US$2,000 fee She did not give her name, or tell us exactly where in Haiti she came from, but admits that she paid the boat captain US$2,000 to take her to Jamaica. She has been here for five years and has since married a Jamaican man. "The police carried me to court and it was revealed that I was married to this man," she declares, pointing to the man she calls her husband. She says since her arrival in Jamaica several more Haitians have landed in that area and have begun a new life - working and raising families. Concerns Some residents say they are concerned about the new arrivals who have not paid their way to come here, but are part of the trade-off in the narcotics and illegal firearms business. In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent Eeutress Foster-Gardener of the Old Harbour police tells The Sunday Gleaner that while the police have not caught anybody recently, there have been cases where persons caught for illegal entry have been taken to court, convicted, and deported.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#41 - Posted 24 March 2009, 7:23 PM
DominicanChic Location: United States, New York Join date: October 2008 Member #: 1508 Posts: 382	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR Interesting article Gizmo, let's wait and see how many critics claim "it's racial" when it's coming from someone else.
	Post IP: 69.203.118.9*

#45 - Posted 24 March 2009, 8:31 PM
poponlaburra Location: Dominican Republic, PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry Join date: November 2008 Member #: 1609 Posts: 1791	RE: WE NEED A BORDER "WALL FOR LIFE" WITH HAITI . (Title Revised) Interesting articles Yumnuk3! "PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry"
	Post IP: 75.45.4.13*

#46 - Posted 24 March 2009, 8:48 PM
Gizmo Location: United States Join date: January 2009 Member #: 1994 Posts: 1150	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR DOMINICANCHIC Interesting article Gizmo, let's wait and see how many critics claim "it's racial" when it's coming from someone else. GIZMO Remember DominicanChic we are the bad guys????? Haitians are not responsible for their own disgraces, not even if they have brought so much destruction to themselves. Someone else is to blame for their deeds. READ A BOOK FOR REAL! BECOME A BOOKWORM MISTER BEFORE YOU GET SERVED!!!!!
	Post IP: 24.215.163.1*

#47 - Posted 24 March 2009, 9:13 PM
vacanos Location: United States, An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. Join date: February 2009 Member #: 2112 Posts: 3528	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR by yumnuk3 So,again,Why aren't these nations being accused of racism? First yamnuk thank you for that article it is a very interesting article. I hope all the trolls in here get to read that article. It is too simple yamnuk we are being taken for a ride by a well organized organization. These people agenda is to ridicule us into submission with their race card. It is the only card they can use against us. They know we are an independent country just like the USA. They can’t stop us from exercising our law. what they can do is promote their agenda making us look racist then the international community pressure our GOVT with everything at their disposal from not granting loan to talking to investor to take their money out of the country, etc we are a third world country as you know and like the low class in the USA we basically live like like them paycheck to paycheck. We are not a powerful nation like the USA when these people try to put pressure on them they just laugh in their face and move on. From the evil Jesuit in the frontera to Sonia Pierre lobbying around the world to the huge number of NGO. Yamnuk there is none of that in the Bahamas MIENTRAS NO SE ESCARMIENTE A LOS TRAIDORES COMO SE DEBE, LOS BUENOS Y VERDADEROS DOMINICANOS SERAN SIEMPRE VICTIMAS DE SUS MAQUINACIONES JUAN PABLO DUARTE
	Post IP: 205.188.116.13*

#48 - Posted 25 March 2009, 10:28 PM
generoso Location: United States, DR Join date: August 2008 Member #: 1291 Posts: 8401	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR Quote: Gizmo previously said: Interesting article from Cuba about Haitianization worries????? http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/dec06/14a8.htm Real good article, I printed it to read it more carefully. We are already becoming Haitianizados and the clock is ticking if we think we have all the time in the world to repatriate all these desperate folks with nothing to lose. If we try they will kick and scream and yell xenophobia to the top of their lungs, because they don't want to go back to hell. "Speak softly, and carry a big stick, you will go far".
	Post IP: 66.98.82.*

#42 - Posted 24 March 2009, 7:58 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3319	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR The Bahama Journal Mitchell: Bahamas Overrun by Illegal Immigrants By IANTHIA SMITH Former Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell says the international community needs to give The Bahamas more support in tackling the illegal immigration problem as The Bahamas is becoming "overrun by illegal immigrants – mainly Haitians." As the illegal immigration situation continues to take its toll on the country, Mr. Mitchell said the best way to deal with the problem is to offer a helping hand. Mr. Mitchell, who was a guest on JCN’s show The Platform said Bahamians also need to do more to help the country. "I just don’t think the international community has given the country much support, and it needs more support," Mr. Mitchell said. "And it’s important for us in CARICOM and it’s important for us in The Bahamas to lobby for that support for obvious reasons. Our country is being overrun, I would say, by illegal migrants who are coming from Haiti, who are escaping the economic conditions of that country." He added that as successive governments have banked on the well-known immigrant round ups and raids in a bid to rid the country of illegal immigrants, "something more inventive" has to be done to tackle the vexing issue. Mr. Mitchell said, quite frankly, the country’s immigration system is simply overwhelmed, archaic and needs a major boost. Mr. Mitchell added that as the country continues to battle the illegal immigration problem, the only way Bahamians can ever have a fighting chance is for them to revamp they way they approach the issue. He added that if something isn’t done soon, some of the country’s worst fears might be realized. "I see it in communities throughout The Bahamas, in primary schools for example," he said. "You can have as many as 30 percent of the children in an entering class of immediate Haitian descent. Some of whom can’t speak English when they start the primary school. Pretty soon, if this keeps up, and it already exists in some schools, you’re going to have to have English taught as a second language to prepare kids to understand instructions and to be able to have the social skills to deal with it." But Mr. Mitchell said the immigration problem could act as a double edged sword. He said given the many problems the country faces with illegal immigrants and the strain they place on the country’s resources, they do however, contribute to the system. He said the mere fact that Haitian migrants are servicing a need in the country, albeit, at the lowest level, should not be overlooked. Mr. Mitchell added that even though the Ingraham administration is trying to drum up support for its efforts by conducting non-stop raids, he does not believe that its policy is effective, adding that they have much more work to do in addressing the problem. "Public Relations is always good for the individual," he said. "The question is whether the public policies are actually resolving the issue and there’s no evidence on the ground that the issue is in anyway being resolved." Edited on 3/24/2009 8:01 PM by yumnuk3.
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#44 - Posted 24 March 2009, 8:09 PM
yumnuk3 Location: United States, ø„¸¨°º¤ø„¸¸„ø¤º°¨¸„ø¤º°¨ Join date: June 2008 Member #: 926 Posts: 3319	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR So,again,Why aren't these nations being accused of racism?
	Post IP: 207.38.219.24*

#49 - Posted 26 March 2009, 2:07 AM
poponlaburra Location: Dominican Republic, PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry Join date: November 2008 Member #: 1609 Posts: 1791	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR Quote: generoso previously said: Quote: Gizmo previously said: Interesting article from Cuba about Haitianization worries????? http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/dec06/14a8.htm Real good article, I printed it to read it more carefully. We are already becoming Haitianizados and the clock is ticking if we think we have all the time in the world to repatriate all these desperate folks with nothing to lose. If we try they will kick and scream and yell xenophobia to the top of their lungs, because they don't want to go back to hell. Generoso, The funny thing is that this article is from 2006. Meaning that the Cubans were already observing this phenomenon for years projecting the outcome of the Haitian exodus and their fucu. I am not a communist, but another thing we should learn from Cuba. "PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry"
	Post IP: 75.45.20.23*

#50 - Posted 26 March 2009, 2:23 AM
poponlaburra Location: Dominican Republic, PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry Join date: November 2008 Member #: 1609 Posts: 1791	RE: THE SOLUTION TO HAITI'S PROBLEMS CAN NOT COME FROM THE DR Quote: vacanos previously said: by yumnuk3 So,again,Why aren't these nations being accused of racism? First yamnuk thank you for that article it is a very interesting article. I hope all the trolls in here get to read that article. It is too simple yamnuk we are being taken for a ride by a well organized organization. These people agenda is to ridicule us into submission with their race card. It is the only card they can use against us. They know we are an independent country just like the USA. They can’t stop us from exercising our law. what they can do is promote their agenda making us look racist then the international community pressure our GOVT with everything at their disposal from not granting loan to talking to investor to take their money out of the country, etc we are a third world country as you know and like the low class in the USA we basically live like like them paycheck to paycheck. We are not a powerful nation like the USA when these people try to put pressure on them they just laugh in their face and move on. From the evil Jesuit in the frontera to Sonia Pierre lobbying around the world to the huge number of NGO. Yamnuk there is none of that in the Bahamas Vacanos, It is true "These people agenda is to ridicule us into submission with their race card". We must clarify that we do not have a problem with few Haitians living in DR like back in the late seventies and early eighties when there was a balance in population. We do have a huge problem now for the extreme number of them in our soil. It is a natural reaction that any country or people would have if face with such situation. We are not the only ones. If this continuous, in thirty more years we will not have people looking like the Mirabal sisters, but will be looking like Sonia. "PROUD & Glad to have a Spanish last name and ancestry"
	Post IP: 75.45.20.23*

February 10, 2012, Updated 7:11 AM
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