The Bahamas immigration laws are fundamentally no different from that of other countries the world over, including progressive, so called first world countries. In some instances, immigration laws in The Bahamas are not nearly as harsh as others, and because of our lackadaisical approach to enforcing laws, they are also not as effective as they could be.

If you actually did some research, and looked also at what some are now proposing to deter illegal immigration, you would know this. By resettling refugees, these countries have a say in how many they can realistically afford to take in, which is how it is supposed to be. Yet, even that is bringing about some backlash from the public, as is their democratic right. How can The Bahamas with its present economy and unknown percentages of undocumented people be expected to do the same. I am glad you moved into the present era, but you also need to tune into reality.

It is funny how all of you run to these convenient eras in history, play the race card, and whatever historical guilt trip that you make the flavor of the day. We cannot change history, and mass illegal migration won't make anything right. What we need to do is fight for corruption and fairness within our own countries, and respect the laws of other countries, starting with migration.

Do they not pay to get on board those leaky Haitian sloops? That plus finds to enablers at all levels sounds about right.

In a country called The Bahamas, it makes sense that the majority of criminals, including violent criminals. are Bahamian. This goes for any country. Criminals, including violent ones, are more prevalent in the poorest sectors of society and when you compound the fact that they are not even documented, the question is do illegal Haitian immigrants & their offspring contribute disproportionately to crime? Could be.

Actually, with regard to immigration, the constitution states clearly that people who enter the country illegally are "guilty" of illegal entry and that the Director of Immigration can make a written order for deportation of such people. So yes, this ruling now ensures that they all stand officially accused, and are treated like any other alleged criminal within the system. This makes sense for those who overstay, but sounds impractical with regard to mass numbers of illegal immigrants that are intercepted at sea. There is also a provision in the constitution that allows for using any funds and/or seizing property from these vessels to compensate the government for the cost of detention and travel back to their country. This must also be enforced.

Chucky, if laws worldwide were constructed with your ideology, life would be grand and such disussions would be nonsensical. However, since borders, migration, migration laws, laws period, citizens, taxes on citizens, citizenship expectations, etc., all exist, it makes sense that we discuss and try to work within those parameters and try to hold others to the same expectation. We can all take the "enlightened" approach, but unfortunately, that approach does not provide what it takes to survive in the modern world.

Fred Smith has already made much ado about illegal immigrants not having access to legal representation, and coincidentally, nothing about others accused of non-capital crimes languishing in Fox Hill prison. So yes, it is quite clear where this is headed.

Either way, random attention to what you describe as a cultural norm is not likely to affect change. For some, including so called human rights activists, the point of impact seems to be when foreigners are involved, or simply when such matters are tied to their own bottom line. Lasting change would come from working on the inside out, and maybe then, the occasional foreigner would not get caught up in the mess.

I am well aware that innocent persons can be accused and charged of crimes, which is why having one's day in court in a timely manner is especially important. This is a failure of the Bahamas judicial process, and again it does not mean that he is not guilty of the rape accusations that were obviously made by the alleged victims. The saddest part about this is that his accusers won't have their day in court, while he is paraded around as some kind of martyr. Where there is smoke, there's fire. Neither of us know why this man was believed to be the perpetrator of two crimes that occurred while he was in jail. It could be as simple as a false or mistaken identification or information provided by witnesses thought to be reliable?

This is long overdue. These people would have found alternate accommodations if the community was destroyed by hurricane or fire. They will do the same thing in this instance.