The day after Immigration Minister Vincent Peet announced that the government was spending $60,000 to repatriate more than 300 undocumented Haitian immigrants over a two-day period, another boatload arrived off New Providence.
This latest group followed the 80 undocumented Haitian migrants apprehended off the Eastern Road on Tuesday.
Authorities said well over 300 Haitian migrants have been picked up since Friday trying to enter The Bahamas undetected.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force reported on Wednesday that during the early morning hours, while on routine law enforcement patrol 10 nautical miles southeast of East End Point, New Providence officers onboard HMBS P43 apprehended 55 suspected undocumented Haitian immigrants trying to land illegally.
The group, which comprised 46 males and 9 females, was found aboard a 50-foot Haitian sloop, the Defence Force said in a statement.
The illegal immigrants were taken to the Coral Harbour Base and turned over to immigration officials for processing, authorities said.
The statement also said, “Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials, though admittedly challenged by what appears to be an influx of Haitian migrants attempting to land illegally on Bahamian shores, remain resolute in their efforts to safeguard the country’s borders.”
It’s a point Minister Peet made when he addressed the Progressive Liberal Party’s national convention on Tuesday night.
Minister Peet reported that between May 2002 and October 2005, the Department of Immigration repatriated 15,950 illegal immigrants to their respective homelands at a cost of $3,011.392.14.
Those repatriations represent apprehensions by the Department of Immigration, assisted by the Royal Bahamas Police and Defence forces and the U.S. Coast Guard, he said.
Minister Peet also revealed that the cost of repatriation between January and October of this year is $577,000.
But he quickly noted that this figure does not include indirect costs, such as fuel for aircraft, food, clothing, toiletries, and medical supplies for detainees among other costs.
“Given our limited resources, we pay a high price for our illegal immigration challenge,” Minister Peet said. “But some Bahamians are part of the problem and not the solution.”
He noted that despite the promised aid and donations from international organizations the government of Haiti remains unstable, extreme poverty still exists and violence continues to engulf that country.
“Hence, the exodus of Haitian nationals continues,” said Minister Peet, who vowed that the PLP government will continue to work to address the vexing national concern.
By: Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
