Hurricane Dorian]
Rep. Maxine Waters: “While we have learned of the disturbing reports that dozens of Bahamians were kicked off of a ferry that was headed to the United States, displaced Bahamians must not be denied the opportunity to come to the United States because our visa and immigration processes are not being expedited in an emergency manner.”
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While leaders like Rep. Waters are trying to help the people of the Bahamas, Donald Trump is spreading lies to keep Bahamians from entering U.S.
Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43), Co-chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, issued a statement calling for an expedited entry process for Bahamians seeking to enter into the United States and the extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation to Bahamians currently in the United States.
This is being done in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which has killed more than 50 Bahamians, left 70,000 others without homes, and destroyed the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands:
“The people of the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands are in a desperate situation. Hurricane Dorian has created a humanitarian crisis the likes of which has never before faced the Bahamas. I am grateful for the efforts of the USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which has been instrumental in search and rescue efforts as well as in providing emergency food assistance to Bahamians. I also thank the U.S. Coast Guard, which has already rescued more than 300 people and conducted life-saving air operations in the Bahamas.
“As the Chair of the House Committee on Financial Services and Co-chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, I strongly support an expedited U.S. visa application or waiver process for Bahamians who are seeking to enter the United States in order to join with relatives, friends, and others who will host and be of assistance to them in the aftermath of this horrific storm. In addition, I am extremely supportive of the extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for all Bahamians in the United States who cannot safely return to the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
“While we have learned of the disturbing reports that dozens of Bahamians were kicked off of a ferry that was headed to the United States, displaced Bahamians must not be denied the opportunity to come to the United States because our visa and immigration processes are not being expedited in an emergency manner. The people of the Bahamas must be treated with respect, and all applications for visas must be processed efficiently, expeditiously, and in a manner that guarantees Bahamians the safety and security they deserve during this difficult time.”
Editor’s note: While responsible leaders, like Rep. Waters, are trying to make a difference in the lives of Bahamians who were severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian, Donald Trump is again spreading more baseless lies about those seeking emergency entry into America.
After initially saying to the people of the Bahamas “we’re with you,” Trump yesterday said, “We have to be very careful. Everybody needs totally proper documentation because the Bahamas had some tremendous problems with people going to the Bahamas that weren’t supposed to be there. I don’t want to allow people that weren’t supposed to be in the Bahamas to come into the United States, including some very bad people and some very bad gang members and some very, very bad drug dealers.”
Where is Trump’s evidence that there are “very bad gang members” and “drug dealers” among the people of the Bahamas? Can this serial fabricator factually prove the Bahamas has “tremendous problems” with people that supposedly shouldn’t be there? Do we really expect many of these suffering Bahamians to be able to quickly provide documents, seeing that so many lost everything?
Of course, it’s clear to see what’s really going on here: the skin color of most Bahamians is a problem to this racist president who has been trying to make America lily White again by getting rid of immigrants who aren’t White.
