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A Town Meeting
Was Held - Policy regarding Haitian immigration explained For ADDITIONAL
IMMIGRATION COVERAGE - Please
Click HERE An open Town Meeting at the Hope Town school attracted a small but energetic group. Chief Councillor Suzanne Bethel welcomed Chief Immigration Officer for Abaco, Mr. Errol Ferguson, who recently arrived on Abaco from Grand Bahama. With the problem of Haitian illegal immigrants high on the agenda, Mr. Ferguson opened the floor for questions which he systematically answered according to the letter of the law. "We have grave concerns about persons living illegally here on Abaco and we intend to deal with each individual case," cautioned Mr. Ferguson, who vowed to be proactive in this area. He hastened to add, "The question of immigration covers a wide scope. It is the movement of people in and out of the Bahamas. We are asking people themselves to regulate their own status." This tacit message means that if they do not do this, his department most certainly will. While acknowledging that the problem of illegal workers on Abaco has been aggravated because of Hurricane Floyd's demand for additional workers, he felt that the time has come for us to sift through the labour force and ascertain who has the legal right to work. He encouraged the community to notify him and his department about illegal workers and above all not to employ individuals who have no status to work. "You must assist us if we are to alleviate this problem," he told the gathering. "Bahamians will be arrested and fined $3000 or will face imprisonment if they employ illegal Haitians," said Mr. Ferguson, stating unequivocally that this would be enforced within a few weeks. He stated that some Bahamians charge Haitians extortionate prices, as high as $2000, to apply for Haitian work permits. This, he stated, was immoral and illegal. Responding to concerns voiced by Hope Town residents about the flow of illegal immigrants from Haiti and the attendant diseases brought with them, he substantiated this by adding that there is at present a smuggling organisation off the tip of Elbow Cay and freight boats bringing illegal Haitians into the Bahamas. "The ports of entry are not being properly monitored," he said "As far as possible we will be monitoring craft coming from Haiti. At one point the Port of Entry was Inagua but now they just slip through," he added. Members of the community posed questions concerning the various types of legal status in the Bahamas. "It is not legal for parents to return to Haiti and return to the Bahamas with additional children," confirmed Mr. Ferguson, who expressed concerns about the incidence of forged birth certificates. Deferring to Senior Administrator, Mr. Everette Hart, to explain the meaning of a travel document, Mr. Hart explained that this was acceptable proof of identification for a young person under the age of 18 born in the Bahamas to foreign parents. "This is a form of status until the minor is 18 and can apply for Bahamian nationality," said Mr. Hart. Mr. Ferguson attempted to assist headmistress of Hope Town School, Mrs. Candace Key, who has an ongoing problem with the amount of illegal Haitian children passing through her school. [[How did he attempt to assist Candace. Mr. Ferguson expressed some of his own concerns, one of which was the amount of earned revenue going out of the Bahamas and back to Haiti, something he felt was draining the Bahamas in general and Abaco in particular. "We need to keep this money in the country," he said. ----- Pigeon Pea Eviction Notice ... again The residents of the Pigeon Pea community in the center of Marsh Harbour wereserved with another eviction notice on July 17. Land owner Ricky Albury wants toreclaim his five-acre piece of land by August 31. The first eviction notice wasserved to the residents on April 4 of this year. Marsh Harbour resident, Mrs.Yvonne Key, is distressed that there is no evidence that the Haitians, probablynumbering in the thousands who live in sub-standard houses, are planning tomove. New houses are still being constructed, as Mrs. Key put it, "right undermy eyes." Despite her constant visits with the police to the site and verbalobjections to those building, construction continues. When she confronted oneman who was in the process of building yet another make-shift residence, he toldher, "I have to live somewhere and I got nowhere else to live." Pigeon Pea area and the nearby Mud community are ongoing areas of concern to theMarsh Harbour community, posing serious health hazards and fire threats. Mrs.Key has worked tirelessly to bring about an end to these illegal communitieswhere an estimated 200 homes are built, sometimes only feet apart. The eviction reminders signed by Mr. Albury state briefly that the undersignedwill reclaim his land on the 31st of August. Failure of the squatters (as theyhave no claims to the land or permission to build on it) to vacate his propertywill result in legal action. Marsh Harbour Police are aware of the gravity of the situation and aremonitoring the developments. Building inspector Edward LaRoda says that there isnothing in the law which supports buildings being knocked down and felt that thesituation would have a peaceful outcome. Less than 24 hours after delivering reminders to residents to evict the PigeonPeas area by August 31, two truckloads of fill, each containing 15 yards ofquarry, were dumped across one of the access roads to the illegal Haitiansettlement. The quarry completely blocked off that section of the settlement forseveral hours. Many residents and visitors in vehicles were unable to enter.Residents spent several hours with shovels and spades clearing a roadway. Bylate afternoon most of the quarry had either been set to the side or evenlydistributed around Pigeon Peas' rocky and uneven roads. "We feel encouragedbecause it has shown the Haitians and the government that we are serious," saidMrs. Yvonne Key. This action was by individuals and was not a local governmentaction. --- Quiet Complicity . . .(Our Haitian settlements)
As I walked through Pigeon Peas just two days after its residents had received eviction reminders, one lady called to me, "Whose side you on?" I was a little taken aback by the directness of the question and saddened that the situation in the five-acre Haitian "squat" had deteriorated into conflict with "sides." Before I could answer, a young man who recognised me replied on my behalf, "She no say; she work on newspapers." A few people standing nearby looked puzzled and he quickly translated, "Journaux, journaux (newspapers, newspapers)." The mistrust quickly vanished and many opened up to me, believing it was their right to express their views and explain their "side." The general lament was "Where we go?" That is a question we too are asking ourselves and each other. Whatever the number of people living in the 200 or so homes - whether 2000 or the claimed 4000 - where and how will they be "integrated" into Abaco society and does either "side" truly want integration? Many of the Haitians I interviewed in Pigeon Peas felt that Bahamians would not rent to them. Whether or not this is true is academic as there is a major housing shortage in Marsh Harbour, a situation which was aggravated by Hurricane Floyd last year. It is hard enough to find accommodation for Abaconians and Bahamians sent to work here from elsewhere, as was the case of a government doctor recently posted here for six months, let alone a huge body of people exiting an undesirable area like Pigeon Peas. After two hours of walking around the "streets" of Pigeon Peas and interviewing all age groups, English and non-English speaking, I was left with the distinct impression that the people are not averse to moving if there is somewhere to go. There is little evidence of central government's promised subdivision to the north which was to be the "solution" to the problem. It is unrealistic to think that a "ghetto" with a massive population which developed over thirty years, and which should have been nipped in the bud when the first illegal house was erected, will be disbanded overnight and its residents absorbed into the community overnight. If anyone, other than a Haitian, attempts to build a small structure out in the bush, Town Planning is hard on their heels. When I started to add a lean-to on to my back porch, I received irate phone calls from members of the Town Committee asking me for "approval of my plans." And until I provided it, work was at a standstill. With respect to building houses, Haitians have remained above the law for more than three decades. Hence, Pigeon Peas developed not with the blessing of the Government of the Bahamas but certainly with its quiet complicity. It is completely understandable that industrious members of the community like Yvonne Key should seek a swift solution to the problem but a theoretical solution, in this case to simply vacate the land, is useless without a viable practical application and as yet there is none. Mrs. Key has rightly had enough. She is a caring individual, as is demonstrated by her many other public endeavours , who is concerned about the very real health and fire hazards in Pigeon Peas. In addition, her home borders on it. One of the responses from Abaconians to the "Haitian problem," as it often called, is "send them back to Haiti," not said with any animosity but blandly. This is far too simplistic a solution. As many of the Haitians in Pigeon Peas said, "I born here, I went to school here. I been here all my life." And, indeed, a high proportion of them have Bahamian nationality and have the same rights - no less - than any other Bahamian. Some people in Pigeon Peas talked about human rights, egged on by the more educated Haitians living there and visiting Haitians from the outside. It is surely the right of every person to live as he/she wishes and the right of a neighbour to complain or take action if adversely affected by that choice of lifestyle. Others talked of "squatters rights." As I understand it, these apply to occupants who have been living on a piece of land for more than 21 years and have not detracted from the quality of the land in any way. Pigeon Peas, with its unsatisfactory sanitary conditions and substandard dwellings, its downright squalor, would not qualify. No one was objectionable or rude when the "reminders" were given out. People accepted them graciously, saying "thank you." Some sat down, shaking their heads in disbelief. Others appeared numbed. When the 30 yards of quarry were "delivered" the next day to block off the main road to Pigeon Peas to prevent materials being brought in for further development, the people were relatively composed. Of course, there were complaints and criticisms but overall the mood was one of sadness and bewilderment rather than anger. If the original eviction notice, delivered to each house last April, and its recent reminder, has not got the message across, then the quarry surely did. Those who are able will doubtlessly move and hopefully further building will have been stopped. However, what will happen to those who have invested their life's savings in one of the humble dwellings or literally have nowhere to go? Will they be absorbed into settlements outside of Marsh Harbour, such as the cays? What will be the consequences? Will it be simply substituting one bad situation for another with more Pigeon Peas springing up. This problem is larger than anything local government is able to handle, and it developed when there was no local government here in Abaco. In my humble opinion, it is time for the Government of the Bahamas to step in with teams of officials and social workers and recognise the enormity of the issue and the potentially explosive ramifications if they do not. One lone lady on a crusade playing centre stage, a handful of vocal backing in the wings and some moral support from the audience will not suffice. Make no mistake, this is truly a major production. |
