By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis says the real threat to immigration enforcement in The Bahamas isn’t porous borders — it’s greed and corruption among Bahamians themselves.

In comments that subtly distanced him from Opposition Leader Michael Pintard’s harsh criticism of the Davis administration over what he has called an “immigration crisis,” Dr Minnis said the country must “face reality” about who is truly at fault.

“Immigrants are not the problem,” he told reporters. “You can’t do the same thing over and over and expect the same results.”

While acknowledging long-standing calls for more border resources, Dr Minnis said the real issue are corrupt practices among Bahamians who enable illegal migration for personal gain.

“They put a few dollars in the application,” he said bluntly. “They know exactly where to go, who to see. Those are the problems. Until we deal with the problems, nothing will happen. We are the problem.”

Dr Minnis said existing immigration laws are sufficient, but remain poorly enforced. He criticised both the Progressive Liberal Party and his own Free National Movement for failing to enforce them consistently, though he reminded reporters that court rulings blocked his administration from demolishing shanty towns, which the Davis administration has done.

He also drew a stark comparison between Bahamians’ behaviour abroad and at home, saying the same people who follow laws in the United States routinely flout them in The Bahamas due to a lack of enforcement.

“I watched Bahamians on a flight with me to the USA. They were law-abiding citizens. They understand the law,” he said. “What’s the difference here? The difference is we refuse to enforce it.”

Dr Minnis also aimed Parliament’s obsession with legislative output, saying both major parties are more focused on political “bragging rights” than actual governance.

“You don’t have the resources. You don’t put the manpower in place. You don’t put the finances in place to deal with it. You don’t enforce it,” he said.

His comments come days after Mr Pintard accused the Davis administration of overseeing a politicised and corrupt immigration system, promising sweeping reforms under an FNM-led government.

In response, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe defended the administration’s track record, highlighting the repatriation of 13,000 migrants over the past four years and a historic low of 50 detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.