A top Defence Force Officer has dismissed claims that election chaos in Haiti, has sparked a flood of illegal immigrants desperate to get into The Bahamas.
In the past 48 hours, The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) has detained more than 400 illegal immigrants.
But Lieutenant Darren Henfield, Press Liaison Officer for the Force said, “We don’t know if there is any connection to the elections in Haiti. Perennially in the winter months, we have seen a lot of movement in illegal immigrants emanating from Haiti.”
The Defence Force Officer added that this time of year often produced the ideal sailing conditions for human traffickers. “We think it’s because the south east trade winds blow favourably this time of the year and we normally see more immigrants,” said Lieutenant Henfield. “That is one of the reasons why we do not want to place particular emphasis on the fact [that] there may be something going on, as a result of the [February] elections.”
According to Lieutenant Henfield, the recent arrests are due to The Force’s vigilance in guarding key smuggling areas, as well as its partnerships with other agencies.
“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is continuing to do what it has been doing for years now. We are continuing to place our vessels in those areas that are frequently travelled by the Haitian immigrants, which is particularly the southern corridors,” he explained.
“We also have a fantastic working relationship with The United States Coast Guard, which permits us to place sea riders on their vessels,” he continued. “This gives us an extended platform from which to do our jobs.”
The latest group of Haitians to be detained on the high seas, was found around 2:20 am yesterday.
“One Hundred and eight [migrants were] detained in the vicinity of Hawksbill Cay in the Exuma chains,” a RBDF press statement read. “[They were] transported to the Defence Force’s base at Coral Harbour and handed over to the proper authorities. The 88 males and 20 females, one of whom indicated that they left Port Au Paix, Haiti this past Saturday, all appeared to be in pretty good condition.”
Just hours later Police, Immigration and Defence Force officials responded to a Haitian vessel landing in the East End Point area of New Providence and the multi-unit effort managed to net 24 Haitian migrants.
On Monday, members of the maritime service apprehended a total of 292 Haitian migrants attempting to land illegally in The Bahamas, in two separate incidences. Both arrests were made in the area of Highbourne Cay in the Exumas.
Last Year, The Force arrested just over 1,400 illegal Haitian immigrants. Nearly 500 of those arrests were made between the months of January and April.
Meanwhile, officials say the government has spent more than $100,000 repatriating undocumented Haitian immigrants last month.
The Nassau Guardian
