HAITIAN ROUND-UP YIELDS MAINLY LEGAL RESIDENTS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L NASSAU 000657

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR WBENT
STATE FOR PRM NIRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SMIG BF
SUBJECT: HAITIAN ROUND-UP YIELDS MAINLY LEGAL RESIDENTS,
IMMIGRATION MINISTER UNDETERRED

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission D. Brent Hardt for Reasons 1.4(b
) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Bahamian immigration and police officials
carried out a series of early-morning raids April 7,
detaining 455 presumed illegal Haitians from three locations
in the Family Islands. Once the detainees were processed for
possible repatriation, however, 244 were found to have valid
residency documents and were released. A local human rights
group called for the resignation of Immigration Minister
Shane Gibson, expressing its disgust at the "gestapo-like"
raids. The opposition Free National Movement blasted the
raid as "ill-conceived and poorly executed," but also took
pains to underscore its support for the apprehension and
repatriation of undocumented aliens. With elections one year
away, the government is likely to continue cracking down on
Haitians in an effort to respond aggressively to mounting
concern among Bahamian voters about illegal immigration --
likely to be one of the key issues of the coming campaign.
END SUMMARY.

Multiple Raids Net Mostly Legal Residents
--------------


2. (U) The Department of Immigration and the Royal Bahamas
Police Force staged coordinated raids on Haitian communities
in the early hours of April 7. Simultaneously hitting three
Family Islands, officials detained a total of 455 presumed
illegal Haitians: 193 on North Eleuthera, 176 on Exuma, and
86 on Ragged Island. Detainees claimed that police broke
into their residences in the middle of the night, roused
persons from bed and refused to listen to pleas regarding
lawful status. All of the detainees were transported to the
Carmichael Road Immigration Detention Center in Nassau for
processing and possible repatriation.


3. (U) Immigration Minister Shane Gibson held a press
conference at the dock as the incoming detainees arrived. He
attempted to send a stern message to other Haitians: "I want
to sound a warning to those illegal immigrants in the
Bahamas: get out now." Since becoming Minister of
Immigration after a February 2006 Cabinet reshuffle, Gibson
has pledged to toughen enforcement efforts and deport all
illegals, regardless of their tenure in The Bahamas. The
April 7 raids were the first carried out since he became
minister.


4. (U) Detention Center officials reviewed the documents of
the new detainees over the next several days and eventually
found 244 of them to have valid residency status. Those 244
individuals were released in Nassau and left to travel back
to their homes on other islands at their own expense.

Opposition Questions Government's Competence
--------------


5. (U) The opposition Free National Movement (FNM) released
a statement condemning the operation, calling it "an
embarrassment" which it hoped would not do "further damage to
the reputation of The Bahamas abroad." Referring to the
recent transfer of two Cuban dentists to the U.S. after
months of public controversy, the FNM charged that "the
incompetent handling of sensitive matters by the PLP
Government has already given the country enough bad
publicity." The FNM decried Gibson's "grandstanding" at the
dock and said that the fact that the government has a problem
with "corrupt practices and forged immigration documents" was
no reason to detain persons in possession of legal permits.
The FNM underscored its full support for the apprehension and
repatriation of all undocumented aliens, but stated that The
Bahamas "must remain a humane nation where the rule of law
prevails."


6. (U) The Grand Bahama Human Rights Association called for
Minister Gibson's resignation over the "arbitrary and
illegal" raids. It accused him of "catering to the politics
of an election campaign" and expressed its "profound disgust"
over the "gestapo-like" enforcement efforts. It said the
idea that absolutely anyone in The Bahamas could be summarily
rounded up and processed is "anathema to freedom and
democracy."


Unapologetic Government Pledges More Deportations
-------------- --------------


7. (U) An unapologetic Minister Gibson responded by pledging
further action against illegals and refusing to provide
information about the raids. "I don't want to go into
details about what happened, (but the raid) was the first in
a series of comprehensive exercises to be carried out over
the next several months . . . This is one of the most
critical issues facing The Bahamas at this time, and this is
one of the first exercises." Gibson did, however, promise to
make efforts to see that fewer legal residents are rounded up
in the future.


8. (C) COMMENT: Whether true or not, much of the Bahamian
public believes that Haitians are overrunning the country.
In these circumstances, neither the Government nor the
Opposition has much incentive to take a position that could
be construed as too soft on illegal migration. At the same
time, opposition leader Hubert Ingraham and some cabinet
ministers have privately acknowledged the importance of
Haitian labor to the Bahamas' growth and prosperity. How the
government and opposition bridge the gap between acting tough
and responding to economic realities will be a delicate
balancing act as elections near. END COMMENT.
ROOD