With just ten days until the immigration ultimatum is in affect, officers have already repatriated thousands of immigrants.

Immigration officers have been busy for the year and the work will continue straight up to December 31st.

Five to seven-thousand persons have been repatriated thus far for the year and according to commanding officer in charge of the immigration enforcement unit, Kirkland Neely, there’s expected to be more before years end.

“We will have more repatriation before the year is out. Its depends on boats and how much people we pick up from here and the family islands. If they come, we have to keep the safe houses down to a minimum; so that if any flood by boat comes, we’ll have spaces there for them,” Neely said

He added that he has all of his officers on the lookout.

Neely said he did not have the exact nationality or gender of those repatriated thus far, but the government is footing a hefty bill for repatriation.

“Haitian flight is like $40-$45 per flight and the Cuban flight is about $30 per flight, but the ball park figure is over one million dollars for repatriation for the year,” Neely said.

The government has come under much scrutiny by local and international rights organizations for the treatment of detainees as well as the harsh immigration policy.

Organizations like Amnesty International have called for the government to urgently share a written human rights – based migration policy that uses detention only as a measure of last resort; and update the screening processes to avoid the expulsion of individuals born in the Bahamas with a right to Bahamian nationality. However, there has been no response given by the Minnis administration on these matters thus far.