I find most of your columns to be timely and relevant to what is on the minds of patriotic and concerned Bahamians. Whatever you decide, please keep speaking out.

So you are buying the faux US vs. THEM tactic that Fred Mitchell is peddling? What is obvious in his comments is that the PLP is hoping to lead a young and hopefully still dumbed down electorate to see this issue in the simple light in which he is presenting it. They always take the native approach to sway Bahamians into a false sense of unity, whether that means dancing to Junkanoo or giving speeches in a rowdy Bahamian vernacular. The fact is, Bahamar will be owned by one foreigner entity or the next, and quite frankly, I don't believe the government cares if the country is teeming with non-Bahamians in the meantime or eternally.

There have been recent incidents of immigration officers being attacked in the line of duty, so Mr. Justilien could very well have been the aggressor. I am sure it is no picnic for law enforcement officers to face offenders who assume they are being targeted, not because they broke the law, but because they are black or Haitian or whatever. What really happened is still unclear, and the GBHRA's account that he was "shot from behind after he stumbled and fell to the ground" sounds about as convenient as an accidental discharge.

Actually Knowathingsor2, it is people like you who tell people what they want to hear. There are always two sides, three some say, to every story. When people slap the word xenophobia on immigration law enforcement activities and to disregard the right of citizens to feel and express their views on how it impacts them, you know it cuts any productive conversation short. Who wants to engage in discussions with anyone who insults them from the start? And just like the people who abuse the term xenophobia, you attack the columnist instead of intelligently discussing the social, economic, healthcare, and future impact of illegal immigration and why some viewpoints may be incorrect. You were not too busy to put together this empty tirade and I doubt that you are capable of handing anyone an “epic intellectual defeat.”

If the government can cast their "xenophobic approach to governance" aside for the love of money, it is difficult to see how xenophobia is even applicable in the first place. If the government can change a fundamental belief at will, be it right or wrong, it shows only that they are immoral, that they lack conviction, and are sellouts of the highest order, as many already suspect.

The comments by members of the PLP shows that they are incapable of running a real democracy where people can speak freely against the government without threats of ejection, or whatever ace card they believe they have. This deep rooted system of retaliation and petty politics affects Bahamians and non-Bahamians alike. Christie himself condemned Bahamians to hell if they disagree with him, he also expressed hoped that his loyal followers are rewarded for their patronage, and that is only what he had the gall to say publicly. Such abuse of power will not go away until politicians from the bygone era, and their former apprentices, are replaced by politicians who respect the democratic process.

The overuse of the term xenophobia in the illegal Haitian immigrant/Bahamas context is intended to create a fake moral and intellectual high ground for illegal immigrant enablers once their arguments fail. I have long recognized this.

We share obvious similarities with Haiti, and whether by invitation or not, we have shared the same space with disproportionately high numbers of Haitians compared to any other nationality for decades. The only unknown with regard to Haitians in The Bahamas is exactly how many are illegal. Even if the high illegal immigrant figures thrown about are irrational and the stuff of imaginations, we face an uphill battle in finding out because, apparently, it is "xenophobic" for a country and its citizens to even want to know these things.

I know far too many 55+ and much older Bahamians with passports, some from the Family Islands, to accept that this dead end scenario is a common occurance. Maybe some had to go the route of producing affidavits to confirm their births and the identity of their parents, but obviously they did so in a timely manner. Any added delays and complications that applicants face from having to go about proving the nationality of their parents and/or grandparents, is really the fault of the parent(s).

Maybe 60% of "Bahamians" will have trouble producing their parents birth certificate because their parents were born to, or are themselves, illegal immigrants. Most Bahamians can request and receive birth certificates for themselves and their parents at the same time, with no issues other than the lengthy turnaround time.

It makes no sense for Mr. Laing to criticize policies aimed at controlling illegal migration and the undocumented residency of low skilled immigrants when the Bahamas is already suffering from the crisis of having too many low skilled workers. Is that not the reason behind the demand for educated non-Bahamians? Laws are supposed to govern all who enter the country, and if the Haitians don't fit the bill, and choose instead to circumvent the law, they should be subject to repatriation at any time. This should be regardless of who is in office. One reason why illegal immigration remains a real issue for politicians to raise at will is because the FNM failed to bring order to the situation when they had the opportunity.

Good point. Is the private sector flooded with applicants who list "Bahamian" as a qualification or achievement on their resumes?
Clearly there is a gap in communication if opportunities abound at home, but those who return with degrees cannot find work or a decent salary. It would have been more constructive for him to say, for example, "there is a demand for _____. Of the Bahamians who applied, only x amount were qualified."