By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
AN “ongoing search” for illegal migrants is underway by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force following the capture of a number of Haitians in south New Providence on Sunday.
According to an RBDF statement, shortly after midnight on Sunday, a 35-foot Haitian sloop made landfall off Venice Bay, south New Providence.
As a result of a combined effort between police, immigration and RBDF officials, 26 migrants were captured, who were turned over to Immigration officials for further processing.
RBDF marines have since been deployed to “key areas” along New Providence’s coastline in support of vessels patrolling offshore, the statement said.
However, the RBDF acknowledged that much of its land based, maritime and air operations have been hampered by “adverse weather conditions” over the past several days.
According to its statement, the RBDF has apprehended 13 migrant smuggling vessels since May of last year. The RBDF has also apprehended or assisted with the apprehension of over 1,000 migrants during the same period.
The last landfall made by Haitian migrants on New Providence was in February of this year, the RBDF statement said.
According to previous reports, at the time, police patrolling the Marshall Road area discovered three undocumented Haitians.
The police officers subsequently informed the RBDF marines stationed in south New Providence, who, after combing the area located a wooden sloop.
A subsequent search by RBDF and police, and immigration officials resulted in the apprehension of 25 more Haitians.
According to the statement, the RBDF is also conducting active patrols in response to reports concerning various illegal activities taking place in the northern and southern Bahamas.
Those illicit activities include overfishing by American sports fishermen, mixed migrant smuggling in Grand Bahama, Bimini and the Abacos, and reports of Dominican poaching in the southern Bahamas.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 10 months ago
Minnis's love affair with the illegal Haitian immigrant community, combined with his use of Frankie Campbell as his official creole spokeman, is sending an open invitation to all Haitians in Haiti that now is the time to come to the Bahamas. Winter is gone and the calmer summer seas are here for safe passage to the Bahamas where a Bahamian PM awaits with open welcoming arms!
realitycheck242 5 years, 10 months ago
I couldnt agree with you more. A PM is surpose stand for the Rights of Bahamians and defend it at all cost,, and not cozy up to a segment of society who are displacing Bahamians.and breaking the laws of this country with an . illegal agenda. . Could you imagine President Trump or The French or British PM addressing illegals in their countries and telling them what they want to hear . ..Things that make you go humm
jackbnimble 5 years, 10 months ago
I agree too. He has been making it very obvious that he has courted the Haitian vote and now is paying them back by putting Frankie in the cabinet and having Brent Symonette fast-track their citizenships - the premise of their entry being illegal be damned!
birdiestrachan 5 years, 10 months ago
They have a problem with :Adverse weather Conditions" but the smugglers did not have the same problem. All is well. The children will all go to school or see Mr: small things he will see to it. and They all will have free medical care. that is what it is.
TheMadHatter 5 years, 10 months ago
Why are they wasting time catching them? Min Campbell is only going to give them Bahamian passports anyway.
Please stop wasting our money on RBDF. The RBDF should be completely abolished. We don't need it anymore.
Hang out the WELCOME flag.
birdiestrachan 5 years, 10 months ago
Mr: Bethel you are not looking good at all what do you have to say for yourself now that you can not blame a dead man. May Dr Nottage soul rest in peace, the buck stops with you, you are the man.
May I suggest just say its the peoples time and leave it at that.
SP 5 years, 10 months ago
A few hundred more Haitians for PM Minnis to "show love to" while they bury their feet deep in his ass dancing the Yanvalou!
These damn parasitic Haitians are as vexing as cockroaches. How many more pregnant Haitian women and school-aged children must we now pay for? How many more jobs will taken from Bahamians? How many guns, munitions, and drugs did they bring with them to "trade"?
RBDF classifies overcast skies and drizzling rain as "adverse weather conditions"? What kind of fooking marines are they? If the damn Haitians can sail an overloaded, open sloop in these "adverse weather conditions" why the fook can't RBDF sail an air-conditioned, cushy multi-million dollar yacht in it?
Absolute asinine steaming horse shyt, and totally unacceptable!!
sheeprunner12 5 years, 10 months ago
SP - I agree with you ............ The RBDF is making the "Force" in its name look so toothless .......... They should be embarrassed with these stories ..... We just got them A QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS of assets ....... and this is what they are giving us?????
John 5 years, 10 months ago
The sailboats the Haitians use are highly undetectable on the sea at night. And while it is another black eye for the Defense Force remember OpBat and other drug enforcement agencies had similar problems detecting these vessels at night. Being mostly wood and canvas and human cargo little shows up on the radar. And so like a decade ago the US was successful in getting the Bahamian Government to stop the legal Haitian sloops from coming to the Bahamas. You may recall they use to be on Potters Cay. Then they were moved to the Eastern end of Arawak Cay.
joeblow 5 years, 10 months ago
The RBDF is the closest thing we have to a military organization, so we should be thankful that we are not under military invasion. I wonder how long it will take them to make the necessary adjustments to police our waters more efficiently and to detect these wooden vessels. They have only had about 40 years to figure it out.
Maybe they need more expensive boats, promotions and pensions!
bogart 5 years, 10 months ago
MUDDOES DRED,!!
Baffling why common sense does not prevail and .....after decades they do not..... go after the head of this illegal human trafficking activity ..that is exttemely lucrative.$$$$$$$$$$$$......instead....... it is so pathetic that these boat captains cannot be found....on one single boat....to interrogate them ....this hands off treatment support is ...weird...head scratching......where is all the human trafficking payment of passage fees $$$$$$$$ some $3000 per smuggled illegal going????????.....how come no Human Trafficking Ring has ever been found ???????$$$$$$...how come nobody no illegal migrant...thousands repatriated $$$$$ ever confessed revealed information to smash these trafficking rings ??????....Something smells...!!!!!!!!!
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