Mitchell says govt won't tolerate abuse of migrants

Thu, Dec 11th 2014, 11:52 AM

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell vowed yesterday that those who abuse detainees will suffer the consequences.
Mitchell was referring to several allegations of abuse of Haitians.
He said recently there is no evidence of abuse and the allegations are being investigated.
"You have some people who call me as minister and say, 'This country is gone. These people have taken over. What you are doing is trying desperately to get our country back'," he said on the floor of the House.
"That's one side. The other side is the human rights issue. 'Why are you pushing these people out? Why are you treating them so unfairly?'
"The interesting thing about the people who made the complaints in the newspaper, [is they] all admit that they are in The Bahamas illegally.
"That is not an excuse for us to treat them badly or inhumanely, but Mr. Speaker, I submit with every fiber of my being that as far as the information I have, no detainee in this country has been abused by sanction of the Bahamas government.
"I can't speak for people's individual conduct. Those who infringe or break the laws in any way, they will meet justice and will bear the penalty. But the state is not associated in any way with that."
Mitchell's comments came during debate on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bill 2014, which seeks to, among other things, facilitate the creation of a Department of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, a woman claimed she was beaten during an immigration spot check.
The woman, identified by The Tribune as Dahene Nonord, claimed that she was punched, kicked and put in a headlock.
The woman has reportedly applied for citizenship but did not have her documentation on her when immigration officers questioned her. As a result she was detained.
The government's new immigration policy requires all non-Bahamians to have passports of their nationalities and evidence that they have permission to live and work in the country.
As part of the policy, the Department of Immigration will not issue certificates of identity to non nationals born in The Bahamas.
The department also will not accept first-time applications for residence or work permits from those who have no legal status in The Bahamas.
Mitchell said that as of last week, 254 migrants were detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, the majority being Haitians (177) and Cubans (33).

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads