Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said Monday that the United States is expediting its immigration processes to let people from the Bahamas into the country on humanitarian grounds, following Hurricane Dorian's devastating sweep through the Caribbean nation that has reportedly left over 70,000 people homeless.
Morgan said the process would not become a free-for-all. "We still have to balance the humanitarian need and assistance of those that need it versus the safety of this country," he said. But, he did add that "if you're from the Bahamas, and you want to come to the United States, you're going to be allowed to come to the United States."
President Trump, on the other hand, remained — in familiar fashion — wary of the potential influx of people. Although Trump said he wanted to help the Bahamas and is considering extending temporary protected temporary status to immigrants from the country, he also hinted that he thinks people will exploit the situation there. Trump argued that people from parts of the Bahamas that were not hit by Dorian might take the opportunity to enter the United States.
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Both of Florida's Republican senators, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, have called for the White House to accept people from the Bahamas, expressing concern over a situation where people were asked to get off a ship because they did not have a special visa to enter the country. Morgan chalked the incident up to confusion and clarified that no special visas are required for people those seeking humanitarian assistance, though they will reportedly need to show regular paperwork.
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