Police and immigration officials in Abaco arrested 34 illegal immigrants said to have been Haitian migrants shortly after noon Sunday.

Officials say that on July 6 shortly before 12:00 p.m. police officials received tips that a white sailboat vessel was seen in the area of Browns Bay, Dundas Town with suspected Haitians on board.

The officers responded and were able to take into custody 15 males, 18 females and one child.

It was just earlier this year that the government officials announced they would again tackle the highly emotive issue of illegal migration during a bilateral meeting in Port Au Prince, Haiti, in late March.

The decision to pursue such talks came after The Bahamas raised its own migration issues during the 25th Inter-Sessional Meetings of CARICOM Heads of Government and political heads in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Each year the government allocates a substantial amount of money to repatriating hundreds of illegal immigrants, the majority of whom are Haitian nationals.

In 2013, some 3,033 Haitians were sent home and according to Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell revealed that from January 2013 to February 18, 2013, immigration officers apprehended and repatriated 410 migrants. Of this figure, 357 were Haitians.

During the two-day meeting, The Bahamas took the position that CARICOM must engage as an observer to the process of mediation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic as initiated by the president of Venezuela.

Arrangements have been made to transport the immigrants from Abaco to New Providence.

Investigations are ongoing into the matter.