“I said to them, particularly, since in these days of climate change and all these other climate emergencies, that if 400,000 of us moved to the states, it wouldn’t make a difference in terms of impact on the population, but the fact is that you have to behave lawfully, and this ought to be lawful entry into another country,” Mitchell said as he contributed to the debate on the Smuggling of Migrants Bill, 2025.

Bahamians currently are able to travel to the United States without a US visa if they have a clean police record, but need a visa if they are entering the United States from another country.

Mitchell said the Smuggling of Migrants Bill, 2025 is important for bringing Bahamian laws in line with international expectations and standards.

“You can’t go into another man’s country unlawfully, and neither can a government, The Bahamas Government, be seen to be condoning the unlawful entry of people into another country, and that’s what this is,” Mitchell said.

Bahamas wants formal visa treaty with United States

Jamaica Observer | 2025-12-09 | Original Article