In his speech, the Prime Minister addressed a number of pertinent issues to the immigration department and their work. He started by noting that, since immigration officers are the people visitors to Bahamas see first, they represent the face of the Bahamas. He then noted that, as law enforcement officers, they have a huge responsibility to protect the nation against criminals of all kinds. Thereafter, he pointed out that, the immigration officer’s responsibility to protect and guard the nation conflicts with other equally important responsibility of welcoming and facilitating entrance to the country by those people who are beneficial to the country either as tourists, work permit holders or those seeking investment opportunities.
We believe that, pointing out to the immigration officers that, their duty to guard and protect and to welcome foreigners are not mutually exclusive objectives was a timely advice. Today, millions of people are crossing international borders. There are a number of reasons why this is so. These can range from: family reasons; search for work; search for enjoyment as tourists; search for investment opportunities; or so as to seek better quality and standard in educational opportunities. For Bahamas, being a well known tourist destination, it does attract a lot of tourists from all over the world. However, in the current economic climate, many tourists will chose to stay in their home countries. This means that, there will be very stiff competition for the few tourists who can afford to travel to other countries.
In emphasising the responsibility of the immigration officers in welcoming foreigners to the Bahamas, he noted a few areas that would require improvement. Among others, he requested them to ensure that; they are courteous and efficient at all times in handling applications as well as in handling inbound aircrafts; and he went further to admonish them that there should be no undue bureaucracy when Bahamians want to remove and enter the country unless there is a serious reason to justify any delay and that they should stop insolent and rude behaviour against all visitors even if such visitors are in the Bahamas illegally. What a highly responsible, principled and ethically minded leader, the Bahamas Prime minister, Mr Ingraham is! In particular, the Prime minister admonished the immigration officers against harassing Jamaican visitors to Bahamas since not all Jamaicans are criminals or intend to overstay their allotted time. We add to this by urging that those being detained pending repatriation at the Immigration Detention Centre on Carmichael road should be treated in a more humane and civilized manner.
Furthermore, the Hon Prime minister Ingraham also did impress the immigration officers on two very important issues. One, he requested them to handle any suspect in a way that does not violate their privacy or expose them to unnecessary embarrassment. Two, he reminded them that, since Bahamas has ratified a number of international human rights instruments, when illegal immigrants are detained, these conventions as well as all other relevant Bahamian law must be respected.
We believe that, the issues tackled by the Prime Minister at this training workshop were extremely timely. This is so given the recent treatment of a retired American millionaire tourist from Northern California, a Mr Phillip Kronzer in the hands of the immigration department in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Firstly, we concur with the Prime Minister that, without any doubt, the differing responsibilities of the immigration department to guard and protects the nation while being welcoming and facilitating visitors does require a great deal of balancing. By and large, the Bahamas immigration has done a commendable job in balancing these conflicting responsibilities. The Bahamas is a small country that witnesses intensive migratory activities all year round and the task of our immigration personnel is no doubt arduous and challenging. Just like the Prime Minister, we do not highlight the few shortcomings of this department out of malice or to gratuitously rubbish the Bahamas immigration, but, out of duty and the desire to see this department do even better in the future in the quality of their service delivery as a sensitive government department.
For instance, the Prime Minister did require the department to be courteous and efficient at all times. Lack of courtesy and efficiency is evident in Mr Kronzer’s treatment in the Bahamas. The immigration department picked up and sent a 74 year old man to Fox Hill for a week at the government expense. In an efficient administration, one would have expected Mr Kronzer’s case to be handled in less than 24 hours given that, there were no criminal issues involved.
Apart from the fact that, he was held for one week at the tax payer’s expense, he was also subjected to a Kangaroo trial. As the Prime Minister said, the Bahamas must respect all its laws which include international human rights treaties it has ratified. Given that, the Bahamas is a nation of laws, and a country that subscribes to universally recognised democratic and civilized standards, it is impossible to justify such unlawful treatment meted out to Mr Kronzer during his brief sojourn in the Bahamas
It needs to be noted that, apart from the illegality and embarrassment occasioned by such Kangaroo trial, it has also cast on Mr Kronzer, unjustly in our view, a cloak of criminality on an otherwise innocent individual. As a result, it has prejudicially affected his normal business dealings. We believe that, if his case was handled in a more sensitive manner as the Prime Minister has required the immigration officers to do in the future, the delays in handling his case, the breach of his privacy and the undue embarrassment would have been avoided.
Therefore, while we accept the difficulties involved in balancing different objectives by the immigration department, in performing its functions, we call upon it to equally respect the privacy and dignity of all persons who may be caught up by the department. It may be that, such persons have breached the Bahamas immigration law or any other law, but, to be in breach of law does not justify inefficient, embarrassing and illegal treatment meted to Mr Kronzer.
More so, the immigration department need to take into consideration that, its acts may adversely affect the suspected person’s business affairs. As a matter of fact, Mr Kronzer’s business dealings have been adversely affected as a result of acts of the Bahamians immigration department. Thus, as we strive to attract more visitors to our country at these challenging economic times, we ought to remember that courtesy, efficiency and adhering to law at all times, is the best advertisement for the Bahamas by the immigration department. Surely, this is not so much to ask from our immigration officers.
The writer, Clement Chigbo is a lawyer and an arbitrator and a peripatetic lecturer in law. Comments and suggestions on his articles and books are highly welcome. He can be contacted at lawscholar2006@yahoo.com, clemsweiss@hotmail.com
