Florida lawmakers ask Donald Trump to ease visa rules for Bahamians after Hurricane Dorian

Sep. 5--U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday to waive visa requirements for citizens of the Bahamas seeking refuge after Hurricane Dorian.

The Florida senators, both Republicans, made the request within hours of a call early in the day by state Rep. Shevrin Jones, a South Broward Democrat who is Bahamian-American, that the Trump Administration waive visa rules. Jones and Rubio also spoke about the situation in the Bahamas.

In their letter to Trump, Rubio and Scott asked the president to to waive or suspend visa requirements for Bahamians "who have relatives in the United States with whom they can reside as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives and their country."

Jones said on Twitter the senators' request "is a win for all of us!"

In a statement Wednesday, Jones said "swift action must be taken before more lives are lost. It is inhumane to do nothing while thousands of our fellow human beings are left to languish without drinking water or shelter."

"As Florida braces for Hurricane Dorian, our hearts break for those across the region who have already felt its wrath. The storm has destroyed and damaged tens of thousands of homes, crippled hospitals and shelters, leveled communities, and killed at least seven," Jones said.

The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.

In their letter to Trump, the senators said that "perhaps one of the most basic yet meaningful steps our government can take immediately is to ensure that those who have lost everything, including family members in some instances, are provided the opportunity for shelter and reunification with family in the United States." They called it an "urgent matter."

Though parts of Florida are still feeling effects from the storm, they're nothing like what happened in the Bahamas, where Hurricane Dorian made landfall Sunday with 185 mph winds, and stronger gusts. Accounts from the scene and photographs and video show widespread devastation on Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands.

Jones, whose district takes in several communities just north of the Broward/Miami-Dade County line, said the efforts to aid Bahamians aren't about politics. "This is personal for me, & I believe my family and others are not asking about a political party as they seek help," he wrote on Twitter.

He has cousins, uncles and aunts living in Pine Wood, Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. They've experienced extensive flooding and damage, he said, "but thankfully all safe and accounted for."

Writing on Twitter, Rubio noted that "Florida has deep ties to The #Bahamas. Many Floridians have family living there."

Jones said he and Rubio agreed to work together in coming days to help their constituents connect with families in the Bahamas.

On Tuesday, Jones was involved in collection of relief supplies at Supply collection for Bahamas relief effort taking place at Koinonia Worship Center in Pembroke Park -- a church founded his father, the Rev. Eric H. Jones Sr., who is also the mayor of West Park.

Jones and Scott are politically far apart on virtually every issue, but the senator urged his Twitter followers to donate to the effort at Koinonia Worship Center.

The politics of immigration, even in the aftermath of a disaster are tricky. Leaders from both political parties in Florida -- home to many immigrants -- have generally supported presidential orders allowing people fleeing disasters to live and work in the United States.

But the Trump administration has repeatedly said it doesn't plan to indefinitely continue the Temporary Protected Status for people from other countries, such as Haiti, whose home countries have gone through natural disasters.

Speaking at a news conference in Miami, Scott said TPS wouldn't be an immediate answer because it grants status to people who are already in the U.S. Along with other Florida elected officials, Scott has advocated for TPS for Venezuelans; he didn't directly say how he feels about it for Bahamians.

"I've not talked to anyone about it yet. But I know it's something everybody will look at," Scott said.

Anthony Man can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @browardpolitics

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