GB human rights group applauds govt on tabling bill

Fri, Feb 27th 2015, 01:36 AM

After months of criticizing the government's immigration policy, Grand Bahama Human Rights Association (GBHRA) President Fred Smith yesterday commended Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and the government for tabling the Immigration Amendment Bill.

Mitchell, who tabled the bill in Parliament on Wednesday, said it would bring about the "reform that many people have been asking for".

Smith said earlier this year he would sue the government over alleged wrongful detentions and abuses during immigration checks. He said yesterday the GBHRA welcomes the bill.

"We consider this a significant victory for due process and the rule of law in The Bahamas," he said in a statement.

"Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell, along with the rest of the Cabinet, [are] to be congratulated for acknowledging that the action of elected officials must at all times remain within the framework of legislation passed by Parliament. The Bahamas is a democracy and cannot be governed according to arbitrary ministerial dictate, otherwise known as policy."

The bill would provide for the introduction of a belonger's permit. According to the bill, a resident belonger's permit could be granted to a person born in The Bahamas to non-Bahamian parents who is entitled to apply for registration as a citizen and is residing permanently in the country at the time the application is made. Those who were born outside The Bahamas to a Bahamian man or woman who is married to a foreigner, are also eligible to apply for a resident belonger's permit.

The permit would entitle an individual to live and work in the country for a period, which would be determined by the director of immigration. According to the regulations, the permit would be valid for three years or less. The permit would not impact the right of the applicant to apply for citizenship.

Smith said the GBHRA will review the bill and plans to comment further on whether it complies with the fundamental protections enshrined in the constitution. He said the association also looks forward to the government tabling additional bills to cover other aspects of its immigration policy, including "what at present remain illegal detention and deportation exercises".

"We take this opportunity to once again urge the government stay its hand in this regard, until the actions of immigration officers can be brought within the confines of the law," Smith said. "In the meantime though, we wish for the record to commend the Christie administration for bringing this matter before the people's elected representatives. [There] it can be examined and debated in full transparency in accordance with proper procedure in a parliamentary democracy."

The government implemented its wider immigration policy on November 1, 2014. The policy requires all non-Bahamians to have passports of their nationalities and evidence that they have permission to live and work in the country.

Since its implementation, Mitchell has insisted the government is not in breach and said any suggestion to the contrary is "nonsense". He acknowledged that there may be issues surrounding the immigration policies that are open to debate or may be challenged. But he denied the government is targeting any national group and said it does not sanction abuse of any kind against migrants in The Bahamas.

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