I agree: "Police the borders", difficult to do. "Substantial fines to employers" and enablers are both great ideas. These new Immigration actions are a first step, probably in response to the heavy Tax burden being heaped on the Bahamian populace, including more to come.

We can't continue this merry go round, providing social services to an ever growing population with no planning to support it. Yes automatically granting citizenship because you're "born here" is just plain stupid for a tiny country with a small population. It is just as silly as the US- Cuban wet foot/ dry foot policy! Yes it's crazy to make these same "citizens" wait until they're 18 to "apply" for their citizenship, it seems Schizophrenic to me: "you can be a citizen, but may be 'not'"?!

These first step policies will no doubt cause confusion and problems, like the proverbial dominoes, they've been released......or may be not: this apparently is the time to make comments and suggestions, so make them. However government needs to make certain concepts clear, if they want to fix the problems as Bahamians see them. We are tired of being the proverbial donkey, we've stood up (straightened our backs) so we can't be ridden any more (freely or otherwise) by anyone, Haitian etc etc etc: no discrimination, just friggin fed up of this crap!

Yeah, it's called "Hispaniola"

Checkmate!

Our lack of a proper Immigration Policy as well as the dysfunctional US policy regarding Cubans means we will continuously be caught up in this morass. However the lack of details (understandably so) presented in this article creates a number of questions and concerns: he was apprehended by the US Coast Guard, one would think if he had had sensitive information he would have inform them initially. Unless of course their protocols allow good intelligence to slip through the cracks, not to mention the UNHCR rules for assessing who is a 'Political Refugee'. Our problem, locally is that we have no structure to our system that indeed it would be possible for a potentially 'High Profile' refugee to be imprisoned amongst us and we would not know or worse, not care.

One day my children, grandchildren or great grandchildren will live in a Bahamaland governed by the principles of Democracy, not theocracy; where the 97% Literacy will mean well read, educated and capable of free, curious and problem solving intellectual capacity. A people imaginative, proud, but tolerant! I live in hope ;-)

What about "Zoning"?! This is a residential area (Thisisours makes this point). Too often the "authorities" tolerate 'business squatters" putting up structures on public land and opening up shops.....most of these folks don't apply for business licenses, the whole process is a joke! Even if the property belongs to the business owner, we need to enforce (and in many cases establish) proper zoning. Many of the homes in this location are in the $300- $600K range, civil authorities need to protect these folks investments.

I agree with Mr. D'Aguilar, fiscal policies should be based on "spend what you have", as most families are forced to do with their lives/ finances. It should be enshrined "in law" as it forces successive governments to avoid frivolous spending, and hopefully would promote incentives for Bahamian Entrepreneurs to start businesses that our government foolishly seems to want to do. Government must realize beyond policing to ensure "the Rule of Law", education and basic healthcare, their role is best preserved for enforcements of standards (which should be high) and regulations (which should be reasonable and based on evidence where available and common sense when not).

Mr. Miller's appointment as Chairman of BEC, as was the appoints of Mr. Moss at NIB, and Mr. Smith at PHA gives support to the policy of "politicians" not being hired to "Run" government entities. The previous administration's policy was to avoid this, but unless it is mandated "in law", as opposed to common sense, it will not be carried over from administration to administration. The job of the Chairman of any business is to make that business operate well. To function efficiently, and "profitably" if that is what is required, or if ran as a "non-profit" should still be profitable, ensuring that profit is placed back into the company, especially to improve research, technology, efficiency and worker productivity. Modern day managers, especially those educated in many of the fine MBA programs throughout the world, emphasize cooperation with staff, not war. Mr. Miller should be let go because his business policies have failed.....even he is "the gift that keeps on giving" and the Press loves to quote him :-(

If "the government" were really intent on solving this problem they know full well what should be done. From prosecution of smugglers, boat captains can be identified if everyone is arrested and prosecuted (the migrants will give them up if they themselves are subjected to fines and jail time); "Bahamian" employers prosecuted, abolishment of the policy (or Constitutional amendment) which grants "citizenship" at 18 even for "illegals". Undercover operations in Haiti and the Bahamas to identify all those involved in smuggling including Bahamian officials. Proper finger printing and documentation of those apprehended, and showing respect and concern for people in general. If we did care, we'd do what was necessary to end this modern day slavery-like servitude.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s oft quoted: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" comes to mind after reading many of the aforementioned comments. It appears as though homophobia is clouding our sense of moral justice for our Bahamian daughters.
As a previous letter-writer implies: if our wish is to support equality for our girls and women then voting on these issues are simple, we need not claim to see "ghosts" that are not there. It was unfortunate that the framers of our constitution enacted sexual discriminatory laws in our original constitution, deliberate or not. That was another era, almost two generations ago. We have the opportunity to correct this injustice and I implore my fellow Bahamians to please do so.
About question #4 this is not about Same Sex Marriage, and those arguing that it is, most of whom are intellectually and politically savvy, know that it is not. In generations to come if Bahamians want to change the Constitution to allow Same Sex Marriage at some future date they will have to add those sentences directly into the Constitution. Our changes this year will not be helpful to them.
I am hopeful our journalists will begin to ask substantive questions thus setting the tone for serious discussions, not about an MP's political future (whether he votes in-line with his Party), but whether his stance has moral, intellectual or practical merit to our people.
Let's stick to the issues and hopefully our next citizenship referendum will be addressing an even more, practically important topic: that of elimination of the chance of citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants!