Discrimination from Bahamian immigration

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Just recently (June 2014), a friend of mine was denied entry into The Bahamas because of failure to meet the entry requirements. When I called and spoke to an immigration officer at the airport, I was told that the reason for the denial was that my friend did not have sufficient funds.

I was told by immigration officials that for the two days' plan of stay, a minimum of US$500 is required!

When I told the officer over the phone I could have the money sent right away, she said it was too late, the flight had boarded. When I checked the flight information, the flight did not leave until an hour later. Do Bahamians survive on US$250 a day? I think not! I consider it a straightforward matter of discrimination, having been stopped and interrogated twice upon arrival.

Clear prejudice

I see dozens of backpackers in Jamaica. They often tell stories about how their arrived with hardly a dime in their pockets, having signed up on various social sites like 'couch surfing' for free accommodation and taking public transportation like Jamaicans so they spend as little as possible. How many persons have we turned back?

Yet, Jamaicans continue to be denied entry into CARICOM countries as if hard-earned money spent on pre-booked accommodation and round-trip airfare comes easily to us and they can just wash all our money down the drain simply because they carry a grudge - which many of them are in denial of because it sounds too much like neo-Nazism.

My friend was not informed of the right to speak with a lawyer, a consulate of Jamaica, or even family members and was sent back without an in-transit request, which the airline said made it seem as if it was a matter of deportation.

Overnight stay

The said individual was also held at the airport overnight for more than 16 hours with no bed to sleep on and nowhere to take a shower. I tried several times to contact everyone from consulates, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Ministry of Tourism and even Jamaica's Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency. On one occasion, a security guard answered the phone and said that no one worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a Saturday. Is it to be understood then that as Jamaican citizens, our rights and well-being, even in cases of emergency, can only be attended to from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday?

I would gladly trade in my current CARICOM passport for one that says 'Jamaica' only as it seems this is the only place I am welcome, if only by default of being born here. What is the purpose of CARICOM if I cannot move as freely as members of the Schengen states in Europe do without the embarrassment of being scrutinised and rejected?

ANONYMOUS

Bahamas