Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
It’s an honour and pleasure to be here for the B-Squad 2024 graduation ceremony.
Today, sixty-nine motivated trainees begin a noble journey as officers committed to the safekeeping of our seven hundred islands.
With diligence, determination, and a profound sense of civic duty, you have completed your training and acquired a skillset that will serve you well over the course of your career.
Along the way, you will be tested, both physically and mentally. But just as you have been resilient in your journey to this point, you must continue to push forward in the execution of your duties as Immigration Officers upholding and enforcing our Immigration laws.
You will now serve on the frontlines of border control.
You will regulate the flow of foreign labour by overseeing the work permit process.
And you will safeguard our nation by enforcing Immigration laws – arresting, prosecuting, and repatriating those in contravention of our Immigration Act.
Above all, you will be stewards of our national identity, serving as faithful ambassadors at ports of entry while overseeing the intricacies of the citizenship process.
These are invaluable duties, and it is only fitting that excellent officers like yourselves should perform them. You have been well-prepared and honed for this moment. Now, you will apply the lessons learned in training to your daily work for the good of our nation.
Never underestimate your impact as an Immigration Officer. Your work has serious implications for the security, stability, and social cohesion of the nation.
And it is in our best interest to empower you to succeed at your job.
I encourage you all to champion your remit with optimism and passion. And approach your work with perseverance and a willingness to go above and beyond in carrying out your duties.
As Proverbs 13:4 reminds us, lethargy leaves the worker wanting, “but the desires of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.”
So be diligent in all that you do, and find gratification in good service to your Department and to this Commonwealth.
Let the calibre of your work match the excellence of your character.
Given the important nature of your work to national and regional security, it is critical that the men and women of this Department conduct themselves according to the highest levels of decorum and ethics as expected of highly disciplined members of our uniform branches.
You must never depart from the core values that define the Department of Immigration. In all that you do, exemplify integrity, fairness, and compassion.
The safety and prosperity of our nation are now in your hands, B-Squad.
As this nation’s newest immigration officers, you enter public service with much to offer, but still much to learn.
Remember that learning and development in this career doesn’t stop at the end of training. You must continue to embrace opportunities for professional growth and education to meet the needs of a 21st-century organisation.
We now place our trust in you. I ask that you also trust in yourselves; you made it here, so stay confident, and continue to make us proud.
I thank you for choosing to pursue a life of public service, and I encourage you to invite more civic-minded young persons to follow you on this path of service to our nation and its people. I can assure you, as young Bahamians, that you have my government’s support.
And as Immigration Officers we will continue to provide you with the resources needed to facilitate your success.
In recent years, we’ve made tremendous progress in recruiting new officers, investing in new resources, and addressing longstanding issues such as the shantytowns and the granting of work permits to non-Bahamians without ensuring, where possible, the training of Bahamian understudies as required by law.
We will continue to advance progress in recognition of the important role Immigration plays in national advancement.
On behalf of the people and government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I congratulate the 2024 B-Squad once again on this impressive achievement. May the road ahead be paved with passion and purpose.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.