FORT LAUDERDALE – U.S. pleasure boaters returning from the Bahamas have an extra stop they need to make before they’re home clear.
Since last year, immigration officials have been enforcing an old law that requires boaters to be cleared by immigration authorities within 24 hours of returning from their trip if they go to a foreign country.
With the closest island of Bimini being only 55 miles off the Florida coast, it is a frequent stop for boaters.
“It makes the situation particularly unique, because it’s so close and it’s a foreign country,” Gary Guertin, general manager of Pirates Cove Resort and Marina in Stuart, said Friday.
Before, boaters only had to phone ahead to Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Now they need to appear in person at their local immigration office within 24 hours of their return.
Homeland Security officials say the old law must be enforced for U.S. citizens in a new era of national security concerns.
Those who fail to report to a seaport or airport within the set time limit face a fine of $3,000 per person, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman.
