South Florida lawmaker asks Donald Trump to ease visa rules for Bahamians after Hurricane Dorian

Sep. 4--State Rep. Shevrin Jones, who is Bahamian-American, called Wednesday on the Trump Administration to waive visa requirements for residents of the Bahamas seeking refuge after Hurricane Dorian.

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.

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."

Jones is a West Park Democrat whose district takes in several communities just north of the Broward/Miami-Dade County line.

Jones said on Twitter he spoke with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., about the issue Wednesday morning. In a Wednesday afternoon tweet, Rubio said he would ask "the Trump Administration to consider suspending certain visa requirements for citizens of The Bahamas displaced by #HurricaneDorian & with close relatives in the U.S."

"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 opportunities continue.

Jones 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."

In his tweet, Rubio noted that "Florida has deep ties to The #Bahamas. Many Floridians have family living there." Jones said he and Rubio would 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 U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., 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, 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 aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics

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