Stunned Bahamian businesses yesterday described the Immigration Department's "raid" at Atlantis as "simply reprehensible", warning that such actions were counterproductive to the government's key objectives of economic growth and job creation. Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive, told Tribune Business the organisation “obviously can’t condone” the way Immigration officers entered the resort’s Dolphin Cay and detained the head sea lion trainer in front of resort guests. Others, though, were more blunt.
Dionisio D’Aguilar, Superwash’s president and a leading critic of the Government’s new “harder line” work permit and Immigration policies, said he was “absolutely shocked” by media reports of what had happened. He told Tribune Business that his phone had been “inundated with phone calls from people wondering what the hell is going on.” Media reports yesterday described how Immigration officers entered the Atlantis water park through a back gate, and demanded that the head sea lion trainer produce her passport in front of hotel guests.
Despite explaining that she could not do so, the officers escorted her to a vehicle and took her away. It later emerged that while the Immigration Department had denied her work permit in December, the resort had filed an appeal, the outcome of which was pending. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell yesterday urged detractors of the government’s new immigration approach to use rationality in looking at the policies that only aim to defend jobs for Bahamians.
The Minister further stressed that the Department of Immigration is an entity that enforces the law without his interference. If that was the case, Mr Mitchell said many would say that immigration law enforcement is politically directed. He was responding, in a press statement, to criticism against immigration officials after it was publicised this week that a Dolphin Cay, head trainer was detained without warning as she interacted with sea lions and visitors. Eyewitnesses of the incident, which caused quite a stir at the attraction, noted that the three officers who took the employee into custody were rude and pushy after she had told them that she did not have her passport with her.
Mr Mitchell said: “There are rules that apply. All non-national employees in The Bahamas must be the holders of work permits to be gainfully employed in The Bahamas and they ought to have it in their possession as evidence of the lawful right to be in The Bahamas. That is the law. “Where issues on particular matters arise, the Department is open and available to help resolve those issues. “The principals at Atlantis sent me e-mail communications about the matter. It was then referred to the Director.
As far as I am aware the matter was satisfactorily resolved. I have therefore no further comment on that aspect of this matter.” “It is regrettable that on occasions the execution of policy causes some confusion. This appears to be the net explanation for the compendium of circumstances that unfolded at the Atlantis property yesterday. The conspiracy theorists should not go into overdrive on this.”
While Mr Mitchell and the government have been continuously criticised over the new immigration policies, former New Covenant Baptist Church pastor Bishop Simeon Hall said the nation should support the Christie administration’s approach. Mr Hall believes that all areas of employment should be exhausted by qualified Bahamians before foreigners are hired. He said: “Minister Mitchell is to be commended for leading in this effort by this current government to address this issue that has waylaid us for decades. “When there is ‘corn in Egypt’ people come to Egypt but in hard economic times the faces of strangers become more pronounced.”
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