On Sunday, Defence Force officers apprehended 127 Haitians in the Exuma chain and transported them to New Providence on Tuesday morning where they were taken to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre to await repatriation.
An additional 13 Haitians were apprehended in Exuma on Monday and are also now at the detention centre, according to authorities.
In the last two months the number of illegal immigrants coming to The Bahamas has declined, Mr. Nottage said.
“We have seen a slight decrease in the numbers coming here and I think the weather has played a factor with the rough seas, but we in the department have to always remain on guard to ensure that the illegal immigrants are not finding alternative ways to slip into the country,” he said.
Itﾒs why, Mr. Nottage said, the Department of Immigration has increased the number of raids it conducts.
“We have had quite a number of apprehension exercises, not only in New Providence, but Grand Bahama, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera as well, not on a large scale like New Providence, but in each case each island has been asked to step up and do their part in apprehending the immigrants,” Mr. Nottage said.
“We are certainly not sitting down. We are targeting various areas and we are weeding out the illegals in those places.”
Statistics provided by the Department of Immigration show that between January and July last year, 2,744 persons were apprehended and repatriated.
Statistics for the same period this year show that 4,094 persons were sent to their home countries.
In 2005, 5,543 illegal immigrants were caught and repatriated at a cost of $720,573.
So far for the year the government has spent over $600,000 on repatriation efforts, according to officials.
The immigration department has two repatriation flights scheduled for today. One flight is bound for Haiti. Another flight is expected to transport a group of Cubans to Cuba.
As of yesterday the population at the detention centre included 361 Haitians; 47 Cubans; 22 Jamaicans; three Nigerians; one Dominican; one Guyanese; four Indians; one Honduran; and one Peruvian.
Mr. Nottage said the department is also cracking down on visitors who come to The Bahamas and overstay their time.
He said the department has a list of persons who are expected to be charged before the courts for violating immigration laws.
Minster of Labour and Immigration Shane Gibson recently said his ministry is considering new measures to address illegal immigration, including banning certain vessels from trading between The Bahamas and Haiti.
In addition, the government is contemplating amendments to the Immigration Act in order to address human trafficking.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
