Bahamas New xenophobic immigration rule toward foreigners and Haitians

According to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) study, 2013, around 50,000 Haitians live in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. A large stream of Haitian migrant arrived in the islands when Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier was elected as the Haitian President, years ago in 1957. The migrant Haitians suffer discrimination and live a poor and disorganized life in the Bahamas. They are viewed by the Bahamians as a kind of 'disease' and public safety problem. In 1967, in a crackdown attempt by the Bahamas government, many undocumented Haitians were arrested and subsequently they were deported. However, the undocumented Haitians living in Bahamas prefer to remain quiet, not to revolt against the daily societal and institutional discrimination. Bertin M. Louis, Jr., Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee believes that they are unorganized, consider Bahamas as a station to U.S and do not want to create problems that may prevent their final and intended destination.

However, on September, 26, Minister Frederick has pledged in a memorandum of understanding with the IOM that the Bahamas would "manage its migration challenges effectively and humanely."

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