Well this should whip up some discussion..gonna sit back and watch the fireworks!!

What is the "law on the books"???????? That the Minister responsible for Immigration can make almost carte blanche decision on who becomes a citizen of The Bahamas???????

I have lost my respect for Mr. Chipman and I certainly won't be voting FNM in the next election if this is how his party is thinking. Mercifully, he does not represent the FNM or the majority because he will find that most right-thinking Bahamians would not agree to this. One only has to listen to the talk shows or follow social media. Any time you want to start a firestorm, talk about Haitian migration and their perceived "rights" to citizenship in The Bahamas after breaking our law, entering our country illegally and then "havin' chirren".

The bottom line is this is a vexing problem that needs to be addressed and not in the far future. He should take his cue from Dr. Minnis, and choose his words carefully when making any comments in this regard,

Comrade Chippie has gone all bananas if he really thinks his red supporters will support growing bananas and corn to sell (donate) to Haiti, cause the whole world knows President Martally has no foreigner cash to pay anybody for bananas and corn. Chippie just sank his party's support even deeper than Minnis, Loretta and Daron has tried so damn hard at for past 2 years.

We cheapen our citizenship, and wha it means to be Bahamian, when we would even consider such absurdity.

This man is talking out of both of his asses! The fact of the matter is that there is a problem with the overflow of illegal Haitians who are dwelling in this country, living off the fat of the land. As a matter of importance, address that issue before talkin shite. Let me state further that I am by no means xenophobic,but every country must look after the interest of its own people first. I can say for sure that Bahamians are second-class citizens in their own country. This all boils down to Bahamian officials greed for money. Why in God's name do we pretend to be roundin up illegals then set them free for $1,300? As I mentioned before, this place that I call my home and love so dearly is a whoring country. We are eager to sell our front to anyone who comes along with a few dollars in hand. Can't blame the government because it is the people that make or break the government.

Both PM Christie and Haiti's President Martelly are now into their third year as their respective nation's leaders. So is Minnis as Her Majesty Official Opposition Leader into his third year. Neither Christie or Martelly have offered their people anything but excuse after excuse for why they have turned their campaign promises into nothing more than pure rhetoric, when the evidence points to both leaders failure at even having a plan in the works for transforming the lives of their people. President Martelly claims he has been responsible since taking office for reducing the by half the 1.5 million Haitians left homeless after the 2010 earthquake and forced to live squalid camps. What Martelly and Christie want tell their people, is that of the 317,000 who successful left those torrid tent camps, there are signs that some 100,000 could have ended up entering living, working and having babies "illegally" in Bahamaland? The PM can smile his big smile that the way solve the economical unsustainable illegal Haitian problems is to issue even more work permits to farm labour foreigners to pant and grow bananas, corn and anything else Bahamaland soil can grow so we can sell (donate) cause Haiti has no dam cash buy anything from any country.

my 5c;
maybe it's just me but I think this can be easily sorted out.

If the parents were here **ILLEGALLY** then Citizenship for the children should **NOT** be an option.
Permanent Residency, yes!. But citizenship NO.

If the parents were here LEGALLY, paying work permits and living and making their life here like proper upstanding citizens and contributing to the economy. Then Yes, the child should have the option of citizenship without question. - which is how it is right now.

The critical difference here is that if you give citizenship to children from ILLEGAL immigrants then you are **rewarding an illegal activity** and you will also open the floodgates to every pregnant hatian woman to jump on a boat!!

DITTO

Very well said

Amen!! Your 5c is correct!.

The PLP and FNM are both out to lunch and couldn't give a dam what you fools that voted for them think.

Why would they suddenly care what you idiots think now, when they haven't cared what you thought over 40 years?

Kick'em in the ass again PLP & FNM....They want to die PLP & FNM......So be it!

Comrade Chippie is this how you and your red colleagues plan on setting the red shirts 2017 General Elections goals? What are you doing to prevent illegals, regardless of their nationality from giving birth at PMH at taxpayers expense. Where is the evidence you ever said one single word when thousands of children of illegals (born here and brought with them on their illegal journey's) are being educated at our school, all at taxpayers expense?Tell me Comrade Chippie is it right for taxpayers to pay for schooling, healthcare, social assistance, all the while these same illegals are lining-up on paydays to remit a portion of their paychecks to their family members living in their own homeland?

Chipman foolishly believes this stance will help the FNM get the “Haitian” vote. But at what price - they will LOOSE even more Bahamian votes in the process. What dummies!!! It is past time for Brave Patriotic leadership in government.

Go to hell PLP & FNM and take your dam Haitians with you!

It is a well known fact that many Bahamians (not all) are racist toward Haitians, and I am Bahamian saying that…..born and bred! What is appalling to me is the human factor that Mr. Chipman is alluding to that all you above have missed. Well, the Haitian children who are now adults, didn't ask to be born, have never left the Bahamas and now because of archaic laws are sent back to a destitute land they don't know. Whether you want to believe it or not that would be like me sending a Bahamian of Bahamian parentage to a country that speaks a foreign language in many regards be it the native tongue, traditions, day to day life, etc. How would you feel? Mr. Chipman is not referring to the Haitian illegals that are just coming to us now. He is referring to those who have a Bahamian birth certificate, holds many diplomas from various private or public schools in our country, and who may even own a company that employs Bahamians.

I dare you all to admit to yourselves that you have a family member that has gotten pregnant and then went to America to have their child so that they could have American citizenship (that is the new popular thing to do). Why are so many of our people doing it I suppose? Could it be to take advantage of the same reasons you all are denying "Bahamians" born of Haitian parents the privileges that comes with citizenship? Need I remind you that those same family members will be taking advantage of American benefits that they never contributed to. The difference here is that the Haitians are contributing, illegal or not. I wonder how many of those Bahamian-American citizens will be paying taxes. I predict lots of Bahamians going to prison for unpaid taxes.

No one is saying that our immigration policies don't need work, they need to be thrown out and redone. However, just like anything new that affects present day effects from the past, there must be "grandfathering" in and in this situation a naturalization of stateless Haitians.

The Bahamas has long been a homogenous society with a homogenous identity. (We) The Bahamas are unfamiliar with how to incorporate other cultures into our society. If we are going to participate in the new globalized society we must deal with failed immigration policies that are the effects of 41 years of FNM and PLP governments. We must deal with this as people, and we must deal with it humanely. The reality that there will be more Haitians than Bahamians in the next 5 years is not a mathematical figment of the imagination, it is a certainty that must be acknowledged.

Ssooo … you fully acknowledge that there will be more Haitians than Bahamians and yet you want to encourage that progression? hmm..

Haitians for the most part don’t want to BECOME Bahamians. I know of a Haitian gardener that’s been working on a large fancy (foreign owned) estate since 1986. He still only speaks 5 words of English.
They want to talk Haitian and hang out with Haitians in areas that have more Haitians than Bahamians.

The Bahamian population is too small to handle it. We’re about what? 250k+
You WILL end up with a dilution of identity.
You WILL end up with a dilution of culture.

Look at Cubans in FL. Or Mexicans in areas of the southern US and in Los Angeles.
This has been the result of the born=usa policy.

But it doesn’t stop there, look at Turkish villages in Germany. Or Pakistani influence in the UK, like Birmingham.
Yes, it’s a natural progression of globalization but all these above examples involve 1st World industrialised nations and we’re only talking just towns or citites.
But on our level we’re talking the whole COUNTRY!!

What do you think will happen when you have 250k Bahamians vs. a flood of 1 million Haitians?

**You just can’t encourage or lend incentive to their migration. !!**

No, it’s not the children’s fault that they were born here. But they also can’t be rewarded for their parents illegal activites. That’s why, and I repeat, you can give them permanent residency. But NOT the vote.

Well said! Every time Bahamians blog in the negative about this Haitian migration/citizenship issue, there is always one fool in the mix who brings up this American citizenship sh**. We are NOT America. And No! We CANNOT handle it! We do not enter America ILLEGALLY in mass and camp out in their hospitals and schools working illegally and having children! The Haitians who are here legally are in the minority and the ones cussin' for rights are usually second and third generation Haitians whose parents entered this country ILLEGALLY. I agree with the earlier blogs. Even you are going to entertain them for any residency at all give them PERMANENT RESIDENCE and let them carry their backsides to the Haitian Embassy for their passports. Citizenship should not be a right - it's a privilege earned and not earned by breaking the darned law!!!

Naturalisation is not an incentive for migration. It is giving those who have been in the Bahamas all their lives which is most cases 20-30 years a chance to full contributing members of society and held accountable for the resources that they use. Yes, if you are raised with the influence of one culture you will want to maintain it on some level and hold a special love for it. Be it language, food, or traditions.

Naturalisation does not mean that you create a gateway for any Haitian or foreigner to automatically be given citizenship. The current policies will be amended and those here illegally will be returned.

The Bahamas is not America and we don't have to allow Creole to become a second language.

This is utter BULLSHIT! Every Haitian descendent I know who has been given a Bahamian passport is pro Haitian and they see Bahamians as the enemy. Shit... on Haitian flag day they parade around town showing off the Haitian flag with pride. You never see these people doing the same during the Bahamas Independence. This is just facts. These people could give a shit about the Bahamas. I also know a lot of them who received passports under the former administration for promised votes. This crew laughs at the stupidly of our government. I am sorry but no man can serve two masters. Don't come in this country and use us to get to get a certain status then dump us when you can travel to USA. If this country was poor and destitute like Haiti we wouldn't even be having this argument cause no Haitians would even be here.

Any party dat tink of trying dat foolishness bout geeing citizen to a bunch of semis,will loose the election,den yinna will know dat Bahamians ain't dumb or stupid like yinna wan us be...

Chipman is a big time Catholic and it was just a question of time before he started espousing the doctrine or position of the Catholic Church when it comes to their great desire that all Haitians residing in the Bahamas be given Bahamian citizenship if they so wish to have it. Chipman must know that anyone who has ever had a Haitian gardener or handyman working for them will tell you that the Haitian male is extremely aggressively prolific in spreading his seed. Even the 15% of the Haitian male population in the Bahamas that is gay considers it a badge of honour to participate in producing as many Haitian or Bahamian-Haitian offspring as is humanly possible. It is not uncommon to hear of Haitian gardeners, Haitian handymen, Haitian construction workers and Haitian farm workers who have had upwards of a dozen or more of their children borne in the Bahamas, in many instances by three or more women. For the Haitians in the Bahamas it's simply a numbers game they know they can easily win at their social level in our society; indigenous Bahamians just don't stand a chance and the Haitians know it! The Haitian community in the Bahamas celebrated with immense joy when the U.S. State Department recently declared on their official website that the two languages spoken in the Bahamas are English and Creole. Leading politicians of both the PLP and FNM have brought this scourge on the indigenous Bahamian people by granting Bahamian citizenship to thousands of Haitians in exchange for their vote for "the party" that gave them citizenship. The economic drain on our country's limited resources from this blight is incalculable: sky high crime from Haitian youth involved in gangs; a crumbling public education system that only Haitian children can make the most of; severely strained public medical facilities; human smuggling; drug smuggling; arms smuggling; and so on and so on. Even many of our elected officials today have Haitian blood coursing through their body and consequently an ever increasing number of Haitians are ending up in key positions in our very bloated public sector, not to mention our police force and national defense force. Indigenous Bahamians are rapidly headed towards becoming second class citizens in their own country and we all know it but keep voting for the same bozos both the FNM and PLP put before us as candidates come election time! Our Haitian problem will never be addressed until voters back independent candidates not tied to the PLP, FNM or DNA who are not afraid to take a firm stance in public on the need to free ourselves of illegal Haitians whether they be adult or children.

This is utter foolishness! How will this better the Bahamas. What will be of the Bahamas if this happens. He need to take a seat in the far right corner and put his fingers on hips lips. He must be insane !! You think we have an immigration issue now, think about how will it be then ?

Chipman, you are not just talking SHIT you are FULL OF SHIT dear Sir.