EDITOR, The Tribune.

A crisis is unfolding unchecked in The Bahamas. It is the failure to acknowledge that illegal immigration is systematically dismantling the country.

We as Bahamians must cease with the polite euphemisms and the political platitudes. The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is not merely “facing challenges”. It is in the throes of a silent, accelerating crisis that threatens to unravel the very fabric of our nation.

At the heart of our mounting failures, from collapsing classrooms and stagnant wages to overwhelmed hospitals and crippled infrastructure lies one undeniable, unaddressed catalyst. The extreme epidemic of illegal immigration. To deny this direct correlation is not just intellectually dishonest, it is an act of national sabotage perpetuated by a political class more concerned with electoral comfort than with national survival.

The evidence of this collapse is not hidden in reports, it is visible on our streets, felt in our wallets, and experienced in the declining quality of life for every law-abiding Bahamian citizen. The continued, uncontrolled influx of undocumented migrants, primarily from a nation in total societal collapse, is not a side issue. It is the central cancer metastasizing through every organ of our national body, draining our resources, stifling our growth, and compromising our future.

Consider our educational system, the very foundation of our future. Our schools are not simply crowded; they are being violently overwhelmed. This is a direct consequence of demographic pressure from a population that has grown unchecked. On islands like Abaco, New Providence, Eleuthera, and Exuma, the system is at a breaking point, with demographic realities fundamentally altering the classroom environment. This isn’t about inclusivity; it is about the brutal arithmetic of finite resources.

The quality of education for Bahamian children is being deliberately compromised, their future prospects dimmed because our leaders lack the courage to enforce the laws that would allow for proper planning and resource allocation. We are failing an entire generation by refusing to protect the integrity of our educational system.

Examine our economy, the source of our prosperity. The narrative of youth unemployment and wage stagnation is a direct story of labor market distortion. How can a young Bahamian hope to secure a first job in construction, landscaping, or hospitality when entire sectors have become addicted to illegal labor paid under the table?

This illegal workforce has created an unfair, two-tiered economy. One for law-abiding businesses that pay fair wages and taxes and a shadow economy that rewards lawbreakers. The direct result is the economic disenfranchisement of thousands of Bahamian youths, whose despair is a ticking time bomb for social stability. This is not economic competition. It is economic warfare waged against our own citizens, facilitated by state-sanctioned apathy.

Look at our infrastructure and public services, the backbone of a functional society. Our public clinics are clogged, our social services are depleted, and our utilities are strained to their limits. The proliferation of illegal shantytowns (unplanned, unregulated, and unsustainable) places a horrific burden on systems designed for a controlled population. These settlements, with their substandard sanitation, are not merely eyesores, they are direct threats to public health, creating breeding grounds for diseases that respect no immigration status.

The millions of dollars spent on emergency responses, demolitions, and crisis management for these communities are dollars stolen from projects that would benefit Bahamian taxpayers like road repairs, hospital upgrades, and national infrastructure development. Our development is lagging because our treasury is being siphoned to manage a crisis we refuse to solve.

The most poisonous effect of all is the erosion of our social cohesion and national security. The creation of a vast, marginalised underclass, including thousands of children born here into statelessness is a recipe for perpetual social friction and crime. When people have no legal pathway, no stake in society, and no hope for integration, desperation flourishes.

The political denial of this reality is gasoline poured on the smoldering embers of social unrest. It tells Bahamian citizens that their legitimate concerns are irrelevant, while simultaneously telling the undocumented population that they will never be fully accepted. This double betrayal guarantees long-term conflict and undermines the very concept of a shared national identity.

The failure of our political leadership is not one of incompetence alone, it is a failure of moral courage. For the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to claim there is “no crisis” is to insult the intelligence of every Bahamian who lives with its consequences daily. This denial is a conscious strategy and a cowardly refusal to make difficult decisions for fear of short-term political backlash.

It is a dereliction of duty of the highest order. By refusing to implement a coherent, firm, and just immigration policy, one that combines stringent border control and employer sanctions with a pragmatic pathway for certain long-term residents, they are choosing managed decline over visionary leadership.

There can be no progress on any meaningful national development goal until this foundational crisis is resolved. We cannot talk about educational excellence with overflowing, under-resourced classrooms. We cannot promise economic opportunity with a distorted labor market. We cannot ensure a healthy, safe society with overwhelmed services and unregulated communities.

We, the Bahamian people, must demand an end to the lies. We must insist on this government and anyone else that is seeking to become the next to publicly declare the crisis for what it is. It is the primary obstacle to national development.

There must be enforcement of the laws without fear or favor, targeting both illegal migrants and the Bahamian citizens who exploit them, with severe penalties for businesses that violate our labor and immigration laws.

There must be a strong commitment to a comprehensive strategy that includes robust border protection, a realistic assessment of the existing population, and a clear, finite programme to regularise certain individuals while ensuring the swift and lawful repatriation of others.

Ultimately there must be a prioritisation of the interests of Bahamian citizens in the allocation of jobs, social services, and national resources, as is the fundamental duty of any sovereign government.

The choice is no longer between growth and stagnation. It is between reclaiming our national destiny through courageous action, or passively watching our country be dismantled piece by piece by a crisis we have the power, but not the will, to control. The time for polite letters to the editor is over. The time for unwavering demand is now.

B AZZAN JOHNSON

Freeport, Grand Bahama

September 22, 2025