A ‘modernised’ ID system must be launched to clamp down on illegal immigrants in the workforce, it was suggested by a top union official.
Speaking at a Civil Society Bahamas (CSB) town meeting on illegal immigration, Obie Ferguson, President of the Trade Union Congress said the system would be needed to keep track of ‘illegals.’
“A consistent and persistent effort must be sustained to document all persons residing in The Bahamas,” said Mr Ferguson. “The Department of Labour in conjunction with the Immigration Department must maintain a database, registration of skilled, semi skilled and unskilled immigrant workers in The Bahamas.”
Mr Ferguson insisted that the system, if implemented, would give a clear-cut figure of how many illegal immigrants are abusing our resources.
“Reliable information confirms public speculation about the over utilisation of our resources by persons not contributing to the consolidated fund,” he said. “Too many immigrant workers who do not possess legal documents are encroaching our workforce. They work one day here, one day there without having to pay National Insurance contributions.
“A large number of professionals come into the country as tourists [and] work without permits at frequent intervals,” he continued. “It is this group of persons from various nationalities who are high-income earners, being permitted to abuse the system.”
But the union official added that government agencies must modernise themselves before undertaking the initiative.
“It is essential that our systems between immigration and Labour be modernised so that tracking on immigration workers and visitors can be had at an instant,” he said. “Until we are able to track registrants, we will continue to indirectly facilitate immigrants evading the law and [living] here illegally. The Minister of Labour and Immigration must mobilise government policies to counteract the high inflow of illegal immigrants.
“Making the necessary investments in security and industrial technology accessories is absolutely essential,” he continued. “Adequate intelligence information must be obtained for our database. Technicians and data analysts must be employed to maintain and input the collected data.”
During his address the union official also mentioned other recommendations for the government. Chief among his concerns was law enforcement.
“Increase The Royal Bahamas Police Force by at least an additional fifteen hundred within the next nine months,” he said. “Establish another base for The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) in the Exumas, equipped with a helicopter and patrol boats. This base will augment Inagua’s base. We need to prevent illegal immigrants reaching New Providence where they can quickly assimilate among existing groups.
According to RBDF officials, over the last year they have been “instrumental in numerous interdictions” in the Windward Pass. They have stopped 2583 Haitian migrants and turned around another 523 migrants. Over 200 Cuban migrants have been interdicted on the high seas.
By: JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
