Immigration apprehensions 'ongoing'

By LEDEDRA MARCHE

Senior FN Reporter

lededra@nasguard.com

Director of the Department of Immigration Jack Thompson assured yesterday that the Bahamas Immigration is continuing its drive to apprehend and rid the country of illegal immigrants.

The director was in Grand Bahama for the department's donation to a special charity and he revealed that while much of their apprehensions in the Family Islands have been kept under the radar, they are still taking place.

"Our apprehensions are ongoing, I don't know if we have been as media-friendly as we should have. I know that my team here are going out and in New Providence we are with the media every step of the way," he said.

Noting that his department has repatriated 118 illegal immigrants this week and another 114 the week before, Thompson pointed out that those numbers did not only originate out of New Providence but include Grand Bahama and the Family Islands.

Thompson added that the repatriation exercises are not confined only to Haitian nationals.

"We're working with five Turkish (nationals) and the other day we had 20 Chinese," he said.

The Department of Immigration also recently repatriated two Africans and Jamaicans.

Insisting that the department is still vigorous with its apprehension exercise, the director admits there is always more they can do.

Often-times the Department of Immigration is only perceived as one which apprehends and repatriates, but Thompson said the goal is to change that image.

In that vein, the department has adopted the Freeport Seventh-Day Adventist Out-reach Program as the charity to assist at this time.

"While that is a part of our job we are sensitive to the needs of our community. We know that there are persons out there who are hurting. We are coming up on Thanks-giving, the month and the time of giving and we thought it most appropriate to assist those who are in need," said Thompson.

"In New Providence we have embarked upon a similar outreach program in the fact that we are giving blood to the bloodbank."

Already, the officers in New Providence have donated 37 pints of blood.

"We are not going to stop until we donate 70 pints to coincide with our 70th year – one pint for every year," he said.

In Grand Bahama, the staff has accumulated a number of new and used clothing and donated the items to the Freeport Seventh-Day Adventist Centre yesterday.

"We thought here in Grand Bahama this would be a wonderful gesture to assist. They (the staff) thought to organize themselves to make available the clothing items and the teddy bears and water for those who are in need at this time."

They became aware of the centre from some of the staff who are members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and familiar with the work at centre situated on East Beach Drive and Gambier and feeds and clothe the needy daily.

"They thought it would be wonderful for us to partner with them and assist with the centre," he said.

Thompson said Friday's donation will not be the last as they have one or two more projects up their sleeve in the immediate future.

"We think that we must assist. We must come to the assistance of our brothers who are less fortunate and we're very pleased about it," he said.

In New Providence, the department intends to donate gifts during the Christmas.

"We have identified a charity and we are going to sing and present gifts to some of the kids who are less fortunate who otherwise would not have received a Christ-mas gift.

That program is being carried out in New Providence but Thompson said they would love to have the gift giving spill over to Grand Bahama.

Alicia Garland, community service director at the Freeport Seventh-Day Adventist Church, was pleased with the donation.

"We're thrilled that the immigration department saw fit to choose us as their favourite charity and to contribute these (items) to our centre. We are God's hands extended in the community and we try to do the best that we can."

Committee member Benjamin Sands said the donation speaks volumes as the centre takes care of the whole man and while it is the first donation of its kind to the centre it is the hope that other organizations and individuals will follow suit.

© 2009 The Freeport News