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After receiving her text and finally getting on the phone with another immigration officer (Mr. Gordan) I asked what was going on with Jesika. It’s important to note that when I spoke to Mr. Gordan Jesika was still at the airport. There was still plenty of time for her to catch her flight to Freeport if immigration had released her then. Mr. Gordon told me that Jesika was being detained and refused entry into the Bahamas because she didn’t have enough money on her person. I told him exactly what Jesika had told Mr. Ferguson. I explained to him that I was meeting her in Freeport the next day (I was actually supposed to arrive a day earlier than her but a last minute snafu with the ferry out of Ft. Lauderdale forced me to re-schedule my arrival to the day after her arrival) and that everything was already paid for including the villa and her transportation. I also explained that she was my guest and that I would provide for her. I also tried to explain to him that the law doesn’t require her to carry any money on her person. He became irate that I was explaining Bahamian immigration law to him. Instead of arguing with him I asked him how much money Jesika needed to have on her person. He would not answer me (because by law there is no answer). I told him that I would provide him with whatever proof he needed and that I just needed to know what he wanted. He refused to give me answer. I offered to wire money, email bank records, etc. He said that the decision had been made and would not be reversed. He refused to call his supervisor (Mr. Ferguson) to explain to him that we had spoken and that Jesika was being truthful. He also refused to give me Mr. Ferguson’s phone number so that I could call him. His tone was extremely arrogant. I told him that I would be on the next flight to Nassau with cash in hand as proof of funds for Jesika’s support. That is why I had the $5,000. When I arrived in Nassau I put the $5,000 on his desk as proof of support. Before he wouldn’t tell me how much money Jesika needed to have on her person. That’s why I asked if this was enough money to release her. The comments regarding an offer of a bribe are ridiculous. And anyone who suggests that I didn’t put the money on his desk the right way also doesn’t know what they are talking about. They were not there in Mr. Gordan’s office. I don’t know that there is a proper or improper way to show someone $5,000. I have never had to do it before.

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When Jesika was pulled aside by the immigration officer (Mr. Ferguson) in Nassau and asked about money she explained to him our travel plans and that I was paying for the vacation. She gave him my contact information and the contact information of the owners of the villa to verify that everything she was telling him was the truth. That was the “proof” that she had “funds” to “support” her visit. However, Mr. Ferguson refused to call me to verify this information. He refused to call the owners of the villa. Mr. Ferguson also refused to give Jesika the password the wifi in his office so that she could contact me so that I could speak to him. Jesika wanted to go outside the office to use the airport wifi. When she told him this and got up to do so he grabbed her and forced her back into her seat. When she began to cry and speak in Portuguese he yelled at her to stop crying and speak English. She was then put in a room by herself for hours. Is this how a Bahamian immigration officer is supposed to behave?

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With that said let me first address both the money Jesika had on her person and the money I showed Mr. Gordan. With respect to the Bahamas Immigration Act and the requirements for entry into the Bahamas pursuant to that Act both are red herrings. The plain language of the Act (quoted in the story above) does not require anyone seeking entry to the Bahamas to have any currency on their person when entering the Bahamas whether that currency is Bahamian dollars, U.S. dollars, Brazilian reals, francs, rupies, yen, pesos, etc. Further I can find no regulation requiring anyone seeking to enter the Bahamas to have any currency on their person. The statute simply requires one to demonstrate to an immigration officer, if asked, that they have a means of support for the time they are permitted to stay in the Bahamas. The official website of the Bahamas (www.bahamas.com) states the following requirements for entry for a person from latin america:
“present a valid passport which must cover the period of intended stay. You are not required to have a Bahamas visa if the stay is less than 3 months. If you are departing The Bahamas for a country that has the passport validity requirement of six (6) months beyond the dates of travel, then that requirement will be enforced.
You must also have a return ticket or onward journey ticket, hotel confirmation (if staying at a hotel, or name and address of residence) and, if requested, proof of funds to support your visit.
Jesika presented a valid passport. She presented her roundtrip ticket. She presented the name and address of the owner of the villa where we were staying. With regard to “proof of funds to support your visit” nowhere in the statute, the regulations or on that website is there any instruction as to specifically what “proof” one is required to present. Neither the statute, regulations nor website state that you are required to have a particular amount of a particular currency on your person. Further, nowhere does the statute, regulation or website state how much “support” one is required to have on a per diem basis to enter the Bahamas. Carrying currency on your person is simply not required by law nor should it be required. When I travel I rarely carry more than $200 in my wallet. I used credit or debit cards to pay for everything. Most everyone I know does the same. It’s 2014 not 1914. But for this incident I would have arrived in the Bahamas with less money in my wallet than Jesika. The comments above regarding how much money Jesika had on her person and how much things cost in the Bahamas are completely irrelevant to the real issue. Jesika didn’t have to have a single dollar on her person. Further, who is the immigration officer to decide how much money someone is supposed to spend while they are here?

Hi everyone. I’m Paul Donovan. After reading some of the comments on this story (which I suspect may be originating from people in or close to the Immigration department) I feel it necessary to explain a few things. First, I want to thank the Tribune for running this story. Jesika and I feel it is necessary for both potential tourists and Bahamians to hear the story so that something like this does not happen again. Second, for the people who think that the Tribune is not telling the whole story let me say that you are correct. The whole story is much worse. Allow me to provide some additional (lengthy) details. This will come through in several posts.