Deportation/ Polarized Society/ Assimilation
Deportation was a form of resistance that the Bahamas used to keep Haitians out. They created this unwelcoming approach to show Haitians that they do not want them to come to the Bahamas because their island simply cannot take in anymore people. Deportation in the Bahamas became very prominent after Hurricane Dorian because the Bahamas was flooded with Haitians coming in hoping to find settlement after their homes were destroyed. The fault in this immigration period is that the Bahamas was suffering from this Hurricane and could not distribute the resources to their people if immigrants were taking it away from them. Illegal immigration has always been an issue in the Bahamas, but because of these natural disasters the Bahamian government had to enact harsh regulations. They took initiative into a deportation process and sent thousands of Haitians away by boat after the 2019 incident.
Polarized Society
The growth of a polarized society has grown immensely in the Bahamas. This is the fear that many Bahamians did not want because instead of having a community that works together, they are working against each other. The rise of the Haitian community only grew segregation factors such as poverty levels and poor education. Bahamians did not want this community to come in and take over their schools and jobs, instead, they are finding ways to keep them separate. The Haitian community is very visually obvious because of the poorly built homes due to lack of skilled labor and the impoverished lifestyle in Haiti. This was very daunting towards the Bahamians because the beautiful country that they built was losing its appeal by very run down neighborhoods. Even though the Bahamians tried their best to keep the two communities separated, they just did not like the obvious separation because it was stunting the growth of the Bahamas as a country. The most obvious factor of segregation is the type of jobs that Haitians acquire. They take on roles that are more labor heavy such as farming and cleaners. Bahamians see these jobs on the lower end of the pyramid, leaving all the Haitian workers exploited to cheap labor conditions. This segregation tactic is another way to encourage Haitians to relocate because they are essentially mirroring the lifestyle that they would have had if they stayed in Haiti.
Assimilation
Haitian assimilation was a major repercussion to the people of Haiti because although they wanted to move to a new island to recreate their lives, the Bahamians did not want to jeopardize their current community to help them. Bahamians are not said to be selfish, but Haitians were coming in ships in the number of thousands a year, and with so many Haitians arriving it made it difficult for further development. It became very difficult for Haitians to assimilate because of this cultural divide. Even those who were part Bahamian and part Haitian were easily identified and had a very difficult time being accepted in the Bahamas. They did not care about any Bahamian background because once there is a Haitian gene inside your body, you were Haitian.
This is quite ironic given the fact that Haiti and the Bahamians have similar backgrounds. They are of African background and have endured a very harsh slavery background that strained their country. The Bahamas, on the other hand, seem to not respect Haitians because of their failure to adapt and develop. They are often seen as poor and uneducated, following the stereotypes that Haitians are already given. Due to the exclusion of the Haitian community, in recent years Haitians have decided to not stop by the Bahamas to find hope for a new life, instead they would travel elsewhere.
