"Some very bad people and some very bad gang members and some very, very bad drug dealers."
We probably all remember what Donald Trump said the day his presidential reality show debuted back in 2015.
Except this time he isn't talking about Mexicans.
Last week, Donald Trump said:
"Bahamas has 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."
Less than one week after climate change-fueled Hurricane Dorian decimated the Bahamas, leaving 44 dead, tens of thousands homeless, and 2,500 missing, the United States has added Bahamian refugees to its swelling list of people on whom it is turning its back.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) refused more than 100 Bahamians fleeing their small island nation's destruction entry to the United States last week because they lacked visas.
Shortly after hundreds of Bahamian refugees boarded a Balearia Caribbean boat bound from Freeport to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a crew member announced over the public address system those without visas must disembark lest CBP reject their asylum claims.
This may not seem all that unusual except when we consider CBP protocol traditionally grants Bahamians with clean criminal records permission to enter the U.S. with just passports.
In fact, 1,500 Bahamians did just that last Saturday.
Miami's WSVN Channel 7 investigative reporter Brian Entin verified with video evidence an unidentified individual announcing to passengers about to leave the Bahamas to disembark.
Entin reported a woman informed him an estimated 130 people disembarked after this announcement.
CBP is, of course, blaming Balearia Caribbean.
CBP Florida spokesperson, Michael Silva, told Newsweek:
"It breaks my heart because it's like when you raise somebody's hopes and then you pop the balloon. That, in my opinion, is what Baleà ria did. It raised the expectations of these poor people who have been through an unimaginable situation with the hurricane. They raised their expectations only to then leave them terribly disappointed."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
