13810: Schweissing: Nassau Guardian: Gov't cracking down on Haitian squatters (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Schweissing <dan_schweissing@hotmail.com>

Bahamas

The Nassau Guardian Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Govt cracking down on Haitian squatters

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By TAMARA McKENZIE

Guardian Staff Reporter


The Ministry of Labour and Immigration is cracking down on those areas in
New Providence where there are large numbers of Haitian squatters.

This, according to Minister of Labour and Immigration, Vincent Peet, who
told The Guardian Sunday, that various government agencies are presently
meeting in an effort to become fully aware of where all squatters are
located.

"I know from my angle, immigration officers have been told to find illegals
wherever they are, so we are intensifying our efforts. I have not myself
personally visited these areas, but I will be doing so in the near future.
My officers have been going around identifying areas, and without much
fanfare they have been working and in fact, collecting illegals where they
find them," he said.

Minister Peet said that he is aware of squatters in hidden, bushy vicinities
of Seabreeze, Carmichael and Cowpen Roads, but will not divulge all areas
that officers intend to visit, as it would defeat the department's purpose.

The Department of Immigration is very focused on dealing with the Haitian
immigration problem and part of being effective, involves not disclosing
what is being done until it's done, he said.

"As we speak," he continued, "the Ministry is working on having these
illegal squatters removed. We are on the ground already and doing our own
investigations. We have been working for the past several months without
much fanfare, but now that I have highlighted the urgency and have given the
nation our focused intention, we are going to be more intense."

Mr Peet said that the Ministry of Labour and Immigration has also added more
vehicles to its existing fleet, allowing officers to be more mobile.
Officials are tracking illegal immigrants almost on a daily basis, he said.

When officers patrol those areas where squatters are located, they carry out
checks to find out whether Haitians are in The Bahamas legally, Mr Peet
said, and those who cannot establish their legal presence in The Bahamas are
detained for further questioning at the Detention Centre.

"If evidence can be established by their family members or employees that
they are in fact here legally, or applications have been made to the
Immigration Department to have them properly and legally processed, then
they would be released into the custody of the applicant, such as a
potential employer or family member, once we are satisfied that they are
here legally or in the process of being properly regularized," the
Immigration Minister said.

But those who cannot establish a reason for being in The Bahamas will be
deported, he said, advising that in the process of carrying out its
investigations, the Department has been very "deliberate" and not "harsh or
inhumane" toward Haitians, allowing them adequate opportunities to provide
proper documentation.

As to the land on which squatters are located, Minister Peet said there are
presently agencies that oversee land matters, who are working in conjunction
with the Department of Immigration to "get to the bottom" of the squatting
problem.

Possible health and environmental concerns are also taken into
consideration, he said.

"Even the whole issue of dirt and garbage that pile up, and how squatters
live, are being examined by the Ministry of Health, in which they intend to
clean up and identify the status of the people," said Minister Peet.

Bahamians are primarily concerned about squatters who reside in areas where
there are no permits to build, he said.

"Clearly the government is very concerned about these issues and we are
putting together a coordinated approach to deal with these issues," Minster
Peet advised.

At the PLP convention last week, Minister Peet disclosed that the Department
of Immigration has spent $1 million to repatriate illegal immigrants so far
this year, with 5,672 illegal immigrants, including 4,892 Haitians being
repatriated between January and November.

He noted that it costs the government as much as $30,000 per flight to have
immigrants deported, not factoring in the costs of apprehension, detention,
maintenance, social services, health and educational systems.

Mr Peet told convention delegates also that his Department is engaged in a
review of the Immigration Act, with a view to making amendments to severely
deal with persons engaged in human cargo smuggling.

He said that closed circuit television has been installed at Nassau
International Airport in an attempt to curb the steady flow of illegal
immigrants into the country.

On Sunday he said that illegal immigration is a problem that affects all
Bahamians, who must be "the eyes and ears of the government," and report any
violation of immigration rules.


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