14878: Schweissing: Nassau Guardian: Deportation doesn't work (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Schweissing <dan_schweissing@hotmail.com>

Bahamas

The Nassau Guardian Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Deportation doesn't work

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The illegal immigrant problem is a case of major deja vu. Ever since the
Bahamian economy began to take off after the Second World War, our less
fortunate brothers and sisters in the Caribbean – particularly Haitians –
have been desperately seeking a better life inour islands. And who can blame
them? Wouldn't you risk a lot for your

family?


After all, only a small stretch of water separates our

relatively prosperous

little country from seven million impoverished and brutalised

Haitians.


More than 20 years ago, Bahamian social scientist Dawn

Marshall published the

first in-depth examination of the Haitian migration issue.

This study makes

it clear that a policy of round 'em up and ship 'em out

simply does not

work. And we spent over $40,000 in January alone to return

the latest

migrants home.


Most of those who do reach the Bahamas are here to stay – unless they can

move on to the United States, which is even more touchy

about the issue than

we are but can avail itself of far more resources to

restrict illegal

immigration.


To be realistic, we have to consider how to integrate the

Haitian community

into our society and control the influx at its source.

Otherwise we will be

abdicating our responsibility to future generations of

Bahamians.


A committee of inquiry into the "Haitian problem" was

appointed by the

colonial governor as early as 1962. The following year the

government

launched the first "Operation Clean-up" aimed at shipping

back thousands of

illegals.


Over the years a more lenient immigration policy has been

proposed by those

seeking to fill jobs on farms, construction sites,

residential yards and

other areas Bahamians were increasingly unwilling to work at.


But immigration crackdowns continued and many millions of

scarce dollars

have been spent by successive governments over the years

trying to police

the situation.


Mrs. Marshall's conclusion in her 1980 book was that the

migration would

cease only if our economic growth is kept at a level where

potential

illegals do not have some assurance of being able to improve

their lot. We

doubt that many Bahamians would opt for this solution to the

problem.


There are massive social forces at work here and it is time

that someone in

authority tried to be creative about the whole issue. The

alternative is to

waste more funds, engender more hostility, and cause more

suffering. We do

not claim to have a solution, but clearly the policies that

have been

applied over the past 50 years are unworkable.


This is yet another case of a leadership vacuum.





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