Pintard vows to ‘axe’ smuggling of migrants bill if elected
Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard is promising to repeal the government’s new Smuggling of Migrants Bill if his party is successful in the next general election.
The controversial bill passed the House of Assembly on Monday, but only after the government removed Clause 11, the section that critics said gave immunity to smuggled migrants.
The big story
While the government insists the new law strengthens border protection and targets smuggling networks, the Opposition says the bill still treats migrants as victims, even in cases where they willingly pay to enter the country illegally.
Pintard argues the bill even without Clause 11, creates loopholes, shifts key powers to the Minister of National Security instead of Immigration, and lacks public consultation.
“The bill continues to treat smuggled migrants as victims in a general sense, even where those individuals willingly paid smugglers and chose to enter The Bahamas illegally. That is not consistent with international practice,” Pintard said.
He went further, saying the government “didn’t listen” to Bahamians and pushed through a bill that creates more problems than it solves.
Why it matters
Migration remains one of the most politically charged issues in the Bahamas, tied to border control, national security, overcrowded detention facilities, and growing public frustration over illegal entry.
The Smuggling of Migrants Bill is now at the centre of a larger national debate: Should migrants who pay smugglers be treated as victims or offenders?
What’s at stake
The FNM says the bill leaves too many gaps, and if it wins the next election, it will repeal it entirely and implement its own plan, “Operation Shield,” aimed at tightening border security.
