We need a Blue Card (similar to the Green Card in the US) where people like this guy can apply and reside in our country legally. However, if they at some point choose to spend most of their time in another country or if they commit certain crimes then they loose their Blue Card. These illegal immigrants don't need to get an automatic right to vote. They can stay but only if they contribute to our country.

I support your idea.

...what yall need to do is to return to the Crown.

The problem has been allowed to fester for too long where there are too many persons in the country with no clear immigration status. The law must now be set clearly what persons like Rony must do when he reaches the age of 18 or whatever, in order to be regularised and be allowed to remain in the country. The law must also clearly set out what will happen to persons who do not follow protocol and apply for status and for those who do not qualify. Immigration is not a new problem it’s just keep presenting different problems.

"The law must now be set clearly what persons like Rony must do when he reaches the age of 18 or whatever, in order to be regularised and be allowed to remain in the country." With respect, I thought this item was clear in our Constitution. In any event, automatic granting of citizenship to persons born to non-citizens in The Bahamas should not even be entertained and that part of the Constitution should certainly be changed accordingly, quickly. If this requires a referendum, carefully and clearly worded, BRING IT!

It's great that he acknowledged this..now they need to fix it in one direction or another. Sitting on the fence having Bahamians think one thing, and continually reenforcing something else to the Haitian community is intentional and shady. It's not a good look for any governement.

Ma Comrades, might I remind you we as a people are all new at this Constitution game when prior to 1973 there was no such a thing as legally Bahamalander Citizenship. Regardless of whether native-born or naturalized - all citizens were British subjects.Then the Queen said, she no longer wished us travel on English passports and would not be welcomed come live in Mother country of England... but she still wished reign over us as one Her Majesty's colonies. Maybe blame the Queen and not the Haitians for our fuc#ups. {The Queen is no made up fictional Head State}.

I do not believe he should be deported. but to give him a million dollars, as suggested
will open the flood gates of hell, He did not have the proper documents, so it is dead wrong
to blame Immigration officers.
a Resident of the Bahamas should be enough.

The thousands the Outspoken QC mentioned and hopes to obtain millions for will bankrupt
The Bahamas. Remember this is the Same Fred who speaks of a Haitian political party
in the Bahamas and Fred has yet to say something good about the Bahamas.

While the FNM Government is giving out millions . They should save millions some for persons
by the dump fire. Fred loves to boast of the undisclosed amount he gave to the FNM Party
They are now the Government.

I must say that I have never come across this kind of "time restricted right" in any other Constitution. The Constitution is there to provide rights. Providing a right between the ages of 18 and 19 is...just odd, when you think about it.
But this is an odd country.

Ma Comrade OldFort12, read it again and no where does it say that at age 20, or older, that you suddenly become ineligible citizenship. It is more what a constitution doesn't say than it says that becomes the law land. Constitutions are mere words waiting to be challenged before the courts.
Comrade Jean Rony is no enemy to the constitution but affords a new nation's people to get serious about taking control over how citizenship is granted and unfairly not granted.

Because it was really meant for legal immigrants. This would allow adults, not minors, to decide on their citizenship and renounce their other passport. It's the same for dual citizens. You can be a dual citizen as a minor, but you're supposed to rescind on or the other within the same window (I believe).

Perhaps. . .but most just have it where you are automatic at birth period and or you are not automatic at birth. . .period! And to prevent anchor babies. . .children born to illegals in the USA cannot apply for their parents until they reach 21!

Children of illegal imigrants should NEVER be granted Bahamian Citizenship and a right to vote. NEVER. This will (and currently is) only lead to chain migration and a silent invasion of the Bahamas with Haitians eventually ruling the Bahamas by way of having a majority. The most children of illegal immigrants should (maybe) receive is permanent residency with the right to work but without the right to vote.

Ma Comrade BahamaPundit, the 'chain migration' vocabulary chosen by you is not by accident.
Who would've thought we'd adopt using the very same kinds talk that anti-immigrant organizations like the white supremacists have been using to get and keep Trump in White House. You can do better and if not - I'd suggest you study up on what it really was that forced Pindling's prime ministerial hand to call for an Independent Bahamaland? The young among us and some older does also needs do some reading as well.
"The Man's" had good reason move and move fast toward Independence - once the colonists started organizing their armed forces, and armed they were.

bahamapundit man the invasion don over.the Haitians don take over.dey even didn't have to fire a shoot

Where is this man's parents and siblings now????????

How many baby mamas and children does he have????????

What will come of the third generation of Jean Ronys?????

The Bahamas Government better do not let Fred Smith and the Privy Council play games with us like the Death Penalty situation ........ We need to ACT on our Constitution.

MR. SMITH will never "REMOTELY" go to nor do anything that will cause this case to head towards the PC. . . IT WILL NEVER SUPPORT MR. SMITH OR THAT JUDGE. . .remember the article that prevent Mr. Smith's case was sanctioned by the PC. . .PC just interpret the constitutionality of laws or decisions made by the courts!!

TalRussel. Would you deny that Haitians are using chain migration in the Bahamas? Chain migration is defined as:

Chain migration is a term used by demographers since the 1960s[1] to refer to the social process by which migrants from a particular town follow others from that town to a particular destination city or neighborhood. The destination may be in another country or in a new, usually urban, location within the same country.

Chain migration can be defined as a “movement in which prospective migrants learn of opportunities, are provided with transportation, and have initial accommodation and employment arranged by means of primary social relationships with previous migrants.”[1] Or, more simply put: "The dynamic underlying 'chain migration' is so simple that it sounds like common sense: People are more likely to move to where people they know live, and each new immigrant makes people they know more likely to move there in turn."[2]

TalRussel. Continue to live in your bubble. I know for a fact that some Bahamian public schools are filled with 90% Haitian students. This is no longer an immigration issue, this is an invasion issue!!!!

Where do you get these ignorant stats from. If 90% of some school population are Haitian students it goes to reason that the battle is over. You were corrected by another blogger but you continue in your blissful ignorance. You throw your credibility as a reasonable and a intelligent thinker when you spew out these garbage stats.

This is a well established fact. At the time certain schools were being built in densely populated Haitian areas, some Bahamians protested the building of those so called Haitian schools!

This **ONE** Haitian is a pain in the ass, imagine what headaches ten's of thousands more cause!

We need to fix article 7 and do what needs to be done to quash this stupidity before a wrong precedent is set and we find ourselves foreigners in our own country.

Pain in the alimentary canal - NO. Anywhere else - YES.

Deddie. I can't give out more information for confidentiality reasons. Let's just say I have seen for myself public schools where the majority of students are Haitian and speaking creole.

Ma Comrades, hopefully this is true that they are not staying home when we ourselves are choosing not keep hidden from our own children of school age - that teachers can and do shape their students futures. Not only must they be attending school but also be fed lunch at school.

What about the other side of the story for the people who did apply for their citizenship and 10 -15 years later they are still being strung along by immigration. I've me numerous in this situation over the years.

I think if the government was even held the slightest bit accountable (in all ministries) we would not be in this situation.

Our own piss per performance, and our acceptance of the same is our own doing, and our downfall (or at least one of them).

The sad part is. The Bahamas is at WAR and its people don't even realize it.

Yes we are at war.....We are only now realizing it. Some will make it a political blame game, but all Bahamians should support any Government that's trying to guard our Country and save our heritage from any group of persons trying to enter or reside illegally. It must be done forcefully and humanely all at the same time. God gave the Bahamas to Bahamians.....if you want to live here and work......then follow the law. You should not get all the benefits that Government gives out e.g. Free school, free medical etc and not be a Born Bahamian or paper Bahamian. I have talked to quite a few Haitians lately and asked them why they have no papers...... they say they are not spending a thousand dollars yearly to work here. They say they are sending their money back home. So now we have a major crisis facing the Bahamaland.

Ma Comrades, say what you want about King's Counsel Freddy - had loving sister not sought out a lawyer for her imprisoned against his will brother - Jean Rony age 34 at the time was legally out for a walk on a public street with no more intent than to buy a single cigarette - could have ended up likes so many nameless, helpless, defenseless victims of this Imperial red state's immigration department - being shipped off in secret never be heard from again.
Here are the known facts surrounding Jean Rony, that he never sailed into Bahamaland waters as an illegal aboard an illegal sloop. This is a grown 35 year old man's who once was a but a tiny baby born at the very same hospital which many of you too were brought into this Bahamaland at. Jean Rony's birth was and remains recorded in the official birth record keeping books Bahamaland, not Haiti.... records that the immigration department's detention center'a officials would have had easy access to?

Comrade Tal..... Do you think Mr Rony did himself justice by not apparently applying for cizitianship at age 18? It will not end up good for him..... He will be deported again and Mr Smith will have taken his cabbage leafs ( dollars) And if he did apply , that does not mean he would have been given it. If he did not apply at age 18, then it shows negligence on his behalf. What does that say of him?

By the way ......Mr Smith needs to carry his a$$ back to whatever hell hole he came out of...... he dislikes all Bahamians......Black, white ,red. He may very well be the Anti Christ himself.....well almost.

The urban public schools in Nassau and Abaco, GB and Eleuthera are full of Haitian children......... We might as well take the Bahamian names of them and call the Dessalines High, Christophe High, L'Overture High and Petion High ...... Just don't name any Duvalier High ....... That is how they are getting ahead in our country while our Bahamian children are sitting up fat, dumb and happy, playing games on smartphones all day.

Ma Comrades, Article 7(1) of the constitution would never pass the sniff test Privy Council of England - pertaining attaining the age 18 to 19's window of opportunity for entitled making citizenship application and consideration .............. which has long been breached by the Pindling, Papa Hubert and Christie administrations..... and as soon as this Imperial red state reveals how many citizenship applications have they approved/granted since May 10, 2017 - 'they too' will been seen to also have breached Article 7(1).
You'd think all controversy their AG has focused upon obtaining citizenship that they would rush inform the people about the rumoured 100 citizenship applications they have approved?

Can someone answer this question for me----Was Fred Smith born in Haiti?? Was his mother or father born in Haiti??---I'm just trying to figure out why Fred is so gun-ho to support the Haitian people to the possible detriment of Bahamians.

Fred Smith was born in Haiti ........ His father is Bahamian and his mother is Middle Eastern ........ So he has an affinity for both Haitians and Muslims...
He has both Voodoo and Taliban spirits on him.