Haitian Smuggling Grows

According to a source in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, officials believe that a Bahamian may have assisted the migrants to enter The Bahamas.

Officials believe that migrants are coming to The Bahamas because the economic situation is worsening in the region, particularly in northern Haiti.

Despite the government’s best efforts to reduce the number of migrants coming to The Bahamas, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) confirmed that they apprehended 172 Haitian migrants on Saturday – the third apprehension exercise in a week.

Officials apprehended 172 Haitians – 130 men and 42 women – in Central Bahamas. Officials did not reveal whether any children were found on board at the time of discovery.

According to the Defence Force, officials received reports that a Haitian sloop had been spotted a half mile east of Hawksbill Rock in the Exuma Cays.

Officers in Exuma, along with local residents, helped to remove the migrants from their "unsanitary vessel," according to a press statement released Sunday.

The migrants, who were later detained on Duck Cay, were brought to New Providence by Defence Force patrol vessels, HMBS P-48 and the Guanahani .

The first vessel (HMBS P-48) arrived in New Providence on Sunday afternoon with 72 of the migrants.

The Guanahani was expected to arrive late Sunday evening with the remaining 100 migrants. 

All of the migrants have been handed over to the Department of Immigration and are currently being detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.    

The group arrived in the country just hours after another group was apprehended.

Officials reported that they apprehended 27 Haitian migrants Friday morning. Their boat was found Marigold Farms in Yamacraw Beach Estates.

The migrants included 18 men, eight women and one child.

Following the migrants’ arrest, police said they believed that there were more Haitians hiding out in the area and were asking residents in the eastern district to be vigilant in an effort to assist them with their apprehension efforts.

Meantime, a Bahamian man was recently arrested in Bimini after authorities found out that he was harbouring a number of illegal immigrants at his home.

According to a Department of Immigration press statement released Friday, the incident happened on July 7.

Immigration and police officers, acting on a tip, executed a search warrant on the South Bimini home of Jeffrey Rolle. 

According to officials, 24 people were discovered in the home, including seven Chinese men, five Chinese women, one Jamaican man, three Haitian women and eight Haitian males, one of whom was an eight-year-old child. 

Immigration authorities said upon further questioning, it was revealed that the group of migrants arrived in Bimini on July 5 and 6 in two separate groups from New Providence. 

They were all arrested and taken to the Alice Town Police Station for further processing. They have since been transported to New Providence and are being detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Center.

The department also reported Friday that 162 Haitian nationals – 130 men and 32 women – were apprehended on Green Cay off Andros on July 15.

The immigrants were spotted by the Defence Force.

Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration said a recent repatriation exercise was conducted on July 16th and 110 Haitians – one Dominican and one American were repatriated.