By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – A well-known Haitian activist is accusing the Department of Immigration of using “extortion” tactics against Haitians living in Grand Bahama.

Jetta Baptiste says it is wrong that Haitians who have applied to government to become citizens are still awaiting their citizenship after some 20 years.

She said the longer these persons are made to wait, the more revenue the government collects every year in immigration fees.

“This blatant abusive system that they are using against the Haitian people is wrong. It is unfair and it is unjust,” she said.

Ms Baptiste is a well-known Haitian-Bahamian who has spoken out on many issues affecting Haitians in the Bahamas.

She was very upset over the recent arrest of a longtime Haitian resident, who has been waiting for more than 20 years to be granted citizenship.

According to Ms Baptiste, the man was picked up last Friday and told that he must pay some $5,000 before he can be released.

The man, she said, has been living and working for many years in Grand Bahama. He was also married to a Bahamian woman who had applied for his citizenship in 1990. His wife is now deceased.

“I understand that the Immigration Department picked him up and demanded that he pay $5,000 before he is released.

“I need to know why he has to pay $5,000 when he applied and has not received his citizenship. He is covered by the Haitian-Bahamian Treaty that was signed in 1985.

“Why should he have to pay this money when it is not his fault that the government refused to grant him his citizenship. He has been a good, respectable, law-abiding man, who has never been in trouble with the law. Why is he being asked to pay $5,000 when he does not have it. What do they plan to do with him? Will he be held in prison for not having this $5,000 extortion fees?”

Ms Baptiste said she attempted to contact Assistant Director of Immigration James Rolle for some answers, but was unsuccessful.

When The Tribune spoke with Mr Rolle, he confirmed that the individual in question was picked up last Friday and was released on Tuesday.

“He was picked up and it was discovered that he had no status in the Bahamas,” he said. “When they brought him in the office, and checked the record they found that the last recorded transaction on file is where the department would have approved a permit for him to be with his wife in 2000.”

Mr Rolle said the permit fee of $500 was still outstanding at the time of his arrest.

“Since that time, his status had not changed so an amount on our record of $1,000 was due in order for him to satisfy the auditing of his file,” he said.

“What happened since that time, he had never held any legal status and the officers communicated to him to that to bring his status current it would cost over $5,000.”

“That meant that he would have had to pay for a permit to be valid from 2000 to 2014.”

Mr Rolle said the yearly permit fee has increased from $500 to $700 and the amount owing and to bring it current would have amounted to some $14,000 to get him regularized.

“What we done is taken in consideration that he was married to a Bahamian and has children born in the Bahamas and we asked him and those persons who made representation on his behalf to pay only for the one year that was not paid for,” he said.

Mr Rolle said the $1,000 fee was paid and the man was released.

“We have instructed him to seek someone to regularize his status,” he said.

Mr Rolle said according to the man’s file, an application was filed many years ago for permanent residency.

“I do not know about the citizenship and I can’t say where that is. I cannot speak to that. If there were one filed, we would have follow up to see where the application is. It is likely that the application is inactive because he has not maintained any legal status.”

Mr Rolle said there is no extortion and the officers were right in quoting him what it would take to bring his status current, but we did not insist that he do that because the file closed with him owing us only for one year. In order to bring him current he would have to make application to have his status brought current.”

Ms Baptiste believes that the man should be granted his citizenship and an apology for his mistreatment.

“Something is wrong with the Bahamian Immigration system and it must change,” she said.

“The governments (both FNM and PLP) failed to grant him something that he was legally entitled to many years ago. Firstly, he was married to a Bahamian woman for many years. Should that in itself not count for something?

“Secondly, he submitted his documents to the government over 20 years ago, he is covered under the Treaty, should that not count for something?”

“What message is the government sending to the people around the world? One that they would make a treaty with a country and not honour the terms of that treaty and make the citizens suffer and be deprived of their basic human rights?”

Ms Baptiste said in May 2011 a list was compiled with the names of some 100 Haitian residents in Grand Bahama who were still waiting on their citizenship. The list was sent to former Director of Immigration Jack Thompson.