NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is supporting the stance taken by the Bahamas government after it announced last week that it will no longer allow Haitian nationals into the country to apply for a visa to visit the United States.
In a statement on Monday night, the PLP reiterated the government’s position after the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) stated that the Phillip Davis administration had not provided Bahamians with a clear plan following the United States’ designation of its Nassau embassy as a processing site for Haitian nationals seeking immigrant visas.
“Bahamians are troubled by the recent announcement,” the FNM said, adding that what has been heard so far from the government is “woefully inadequate”.
Last week, a brief statement from the Office of the Prime Minister noted that in June of this year, the United States issued a policy “fully restricting and limiting the entry of Haitian nationals to the United States.”
Nassau said that in light of that policy, a new announcement that immigrant visa applications by Haitians to the United States can only be processed at the US Embassy in Nassau” will result in no additional entries to The Bahamas for US visa applications.
“Because US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals, we will not grant entry to The Bahamas for the purpose of applying for a US visa,” the statement said.
However, the FNM stated that Prime Minister Davis’ assurance that Haitian nationals would not be allowed into the country “for the purpose of applying for a US visa” does nothing to address concerns about how the designation will affect this country.
“That line does nothing to reassure Bahamians that the administration has an actual plan. It fails to explain how the government will manage the operational impact of being designated a processing post.”
The FNM, stating that the government has ignored immigration concerns for too long, referred to a promised 2023 review that never materialized, politically motivated shake-ups in the Department of Immigration, and the release of lawbreakers back to work.
On Monday, FNM officials, led by the Opposition Leader, Michael Pintard, held talks with the US Charge d’Affaires, Kim Furnish, to discuss the situation.
“They certainly understand the concerns that Bahamians have expressed again; traditionally, persons from Haiti have come to The Bahamas in the past to apply to go into the US; they do not expect there will be a substantial difference,” he said about Haitians traveling to the Bahamas to acquire US visas.
“That is their view, but we expect the prime minister, who is responsible to Bahamians, to speak to the issue and what exactly they are doing.”
Last week, Prime Minister Davis, speaking in Exuma, reiterated that the country would not be “used” for visa processing.
“We are not going to be just used for the purposes of allowing… because what happens if someone comes here and that visa is denied. There’s no need to come to The Bahamas. Visas, you can go online and apply, and if you meet the criteria, it could be done.”
He stated that Haitian nationals already require Bahamian visas to enter the country, and that stricter entry requirements have been under review for several months.
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