US embassy cable - 05NASSAU1088

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 001088 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR WBENT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF, PHUM, PREL, PGOV, HA, BF, Haiti 
SUBJECT: PROFILE OF HAITIAN COMMUNITIES IN ABACO 
 
REF: NASSAU 454 
 
SUMMARY 
- - - - 
 
1.  An estimated 40-60,000 legal and illegal Haitians live in 
The Bahamas among a total population of roughly 305,000. 
Most Bahamians view cheap Haitian labor as a necessary evil 
but balk at what they see as the erosion of Bahamian culture 
as well as the health care and education costs associated 
with Haitian residents, particularly children.  Two of the 
largest and most concentrated Haitian communities are located 
on the island of Abaco, where Haitian residents make up 
nearly half of the total population.  Conditions in the 
Haitian communities are spartan but relations with Abaco's 
Bahamian residents are not as tense as the occasional media 
outburst might suggest.  Abaco's Haitians face the same 
problem of de facto statelessness that many Haitians in the 
rest of The Bahamas do. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
Pigeon Pea and The Mud 
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2.  Of the 40-60,000 legal and illegal Haitians that the 
Haitian Embassy estimates are present in The Bahamas, the 
most concentrated communities are on the island of Abaco.  A 
total of 10-12,000 Haitians live in a series of four clusters 
on Abaco, the largest two of which are known as "Pigeon Pea" 
and "The Mud."  An Embassy political officer visited these 
two communities in May 2005, accompanied by Pastor Meme, a 
local Haitian Baptist pastor. 
 
3.  Pigeon Pea and The Mud are large communities consisting 
of brightly painted one-room wooden shacks which house 4-6 
people each.  The residents mainly come from Port de Paix, 
Haiti.  Pastor Meme stated that the average household of 5 
people is typically supported by the eldest male resident 
earning $200 a week.  Dirt paths connect the congested homes 
in a seemingly unplanned manner.  Trash and abandoned 
vehicles block many of the paths.  Residents on the periphery 
of the settlements pirate water and electricity from the town 
of Marsh Harbour.  Unsheathed electric wires dangle 
precariously from house to house.  A fire, heavy rain, or 
hurricane could easily render these 10,000 people displaced. 
In the past decade there have been two or three major fires 
in these communities.  A fire in 2000 destroyed 20 houses, 
and left 140 homeless.  The Bahamas has no contingency plan 
for natural disasters or a mass migration to this area from 
Haiti. 
 
4.  The Government of The Bahamas provides medical care to 
Haitians, regardless of legal status, at four clinics located 
in Marsh Harbour.  Haitian children, who are born at a much 
higher rate than Bahamians, are permitted to attend public 
school free of charge alongside Bahamian children. 
Frequently, health care and education are the two hot topics 
for Bahamians complaining that Haitians are a drain on the 
economy. 
 
 
Residents Risk De Facto Statelessness 
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5.  Haitians began to arrive in Abaco in the 1960s to work in 
the agricultural industry.  In more recent years, many 
Haitians have first migrated illegally to Nassau, then 
resettled to Abaco in communities more familiar to them. 
Pastor Meme claimed that those already living in the illegal 
settlements in Abaco try to prevent more Haitians from 
migrating to The Bahamas by tipping off immigration officials 
of an impending arrival.  They consider what they have now to 
be a "good thing" and don't want to push their luck in an 
environment already wary of its Haitian population. 
 
6.  Many children of long-time Haitians living as Bahamian 
residents have become de facto stateless.  Persons born on 
Bahamian soil do not automatically become Bahamian citizens. 
Those without Bahamian parents are issued a Certificate of 
Identity by the Bahamian government, a "non-citizen" document 
which states the bearer's national background and confirms 
the lack of Bahamian citizenship.  At present Haitians may 
use this identification paper as a travel document to visit 
Haiti or, if eligible for a visa, the United States.  When 
the new U.S. passport requirements come into place for the 
Caribbean region, however, many of these Bahamian-born 
Haitians will be rendered unable to travel. 
 
7.  According to the Bahamian Constitution, those persons 
born on Bahamian soil without Bahamian parentage are allowed 
to apply for Bahamian citizenship only between their 18th and 
19th birthdays (reftel).  Many of these stateless people 
complain that they applied 5-10 years ago on the date of 
their 18th birthday, but have yet to hear back from the 
Department of Immigration.  Each application reportedly costs 
thousands of dollars to the applicant in paperwork fees. 
 
8.  Pastor Meme has lived in Abaco for the past 25 years, 
returning to Haiti once a year for visits.  He told the 
Political Officer that he is confident he will receive 
Bahamian citizenship "soon", although he applied 14 years ago 
in 1991, and has heard little from the Department of 
Immigration since. 
 
9.  Haitians born or resident in The Bahamas may apply for a 
Haitian passport through the Haitian Embassy in Nassau, which 
would establish their citizenship and identity.  Many are 
afraid to do so, however, believing that any interaction with 
the Haitian government would adversely affect their chances 
for being granted Bahamian citizenship.  The end result for 
many is de facto statelessness: they are ineligible for 
Bahamian citizenship until age 18 or longer by law, and they 
are afraid to document themselves as Haitian citizens as they 
would be entitled to by choice. 
 
 
COMMENT 
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10.  While many Bahamians are upset at the unregulated 
Haitian settlements in The Bahamas, tensions on the ground do 
not run as high as the media rhetoric would suggest.  Vocal 
Bahamians in Abaco say that The Bahamas will be "creolised" 
in ten years if the government doesn't take action.  While 
some Bahamians see mass deportations as the answer, others 
increasingly recognize the need to encourage the assimilation 
of Haitians into Bahamian society. 
 
11.  On the other side, Haitian-Bahamians have grown 
increasingly frustrated at the Government of The Bahamas lack 
of responsiveness to their requests for citizenship.  Most do 
not want to return to the completely foreign country of their 
parents, but they struggle against second class status in The 
Bahamas.  As one young Haitian-Bahamian woman pointed out, 
"The Government of The Bahamas has to figure out how to deal 
with us.  We're here, and we're multiplying." 
ROOD