15678: Schweissing: Haitian Expelled on Sat, Returned in four days (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Schweissing <dan_schweissing@hotmail.com>

http://www.thenassauguardian.com

Deportee returns

Expelled on Saturday, Haitian illegal back within four days

By KHASHAN POITIER Guardian Staff Reporter One of 111 illegal immigrants
repatriated to Haiti on Saturday was back in the custody of the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force on Monday.

The unnamed man, thought to have made several other forays to The Bahamas,
was among 46 Haitians found on several vessels near Inagua.

Department of Immigration Assistant Director William MacDonald confirmed
Tuesday that the frequent visitor had been deported via a commercial flight
to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Now, four days later, he faces deportation again, Mr. MacDonald said,
observing that, "Every time we clear them from the Detention Centre and they
are deported, they come right back."

However, several detainees at the Detention Centre on Carmichael Road told
the Guardian that they would not attempt return visits due to the "bad
treatment" they received while here.

On Tuesday, 219 illegal immigrants were repatriated via two 9:30 a.m.
Bahamasair flights, at a cost of

$3,000 on the hour-and-a-half-long flights.

Since May 12, a total of $40,000 has reportedly been spent on repatriation
exercises.

Haitian nationals presently account for 149 of the 193 persons being
detained at the Centre.

Government officials are expected to meet with the Haitian Government on
Thursday to continue negotiations on several matters, including the legal
entry of Haitian labour into The Bahamas.

Once an agreement is reached, it would also allow United States law
enforcement officers to conduct sea surveillance missions in helicopters
over Haiti's territorial waters.

The Haiti delegation is also expected to discuss other issues, including the
status of individuals with both Haitian and Bahamian ancestry, but claiming
not to possess valid documentation of their nationality.

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to release US$50 million in
financial aid to Haiti.

Minister of Immigration and Labour, Vincent Peet, who will accompany the
delegation, said recently, "We hope that the Haitian government will become
more proactive in keeping their people at home and we are hopeful that they
will abide by the efforts made by the Bahamian Government and the OAS and
other agencies to find financial assistance for Haiti.

"Our resources are limited and they have been stretched, and it is very
important that we find collectively, internationally, a resolution to this
problem that has spread to us," Mr. Peet said.

Caption: BON VOYAGE – A group of 114 illegal Haitian migrants Tuesday
morning boarded a special BahamasAir B737 charter flight at Nassau
International Airport for repatriation to Haiti. Staff Photo by Donald
Knowles


Posted Wednesday 21 May, 2003

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