Officials are searching for migrants after a vessel from Haiti ran aground in The Bluff, South Andros on Tuesday night.
Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force stationed in South Andros have apprehended 26 people so far. Approximately 50 people were believed to be on board the vessel.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is presently conducting aerial surveillance. Teams from all law enforcement agencies are assisting the Department of Immigration in carrying out a full search of the area to apprehend all undocumented persons.
The Department of Immigration is reminding the public that harbouring illegal entrants is a criminal offence and asking anyone with information that may assist in the investigation of this matter to please contact local law enforcement or the Department of Immigration at (242) 604-0172 or (242) 604-0196. Information can also be forwarded via the department’s website at www.immigration.gov.bs under the tab “Contact us!”
Upon the completion of the search, the unlawful entrants will be sent to the Inagua facility for processing. The Department of Immigration is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that they are repatriated as quickly as possible. Further updates will be provided.
Comments
mandela 1 year, 2 months ago
Going into the shanty towns, you will definitely find the missing illegals and many more. This goes to show that our national surveillance is deplorable. Anyone could easily sneak into the capital and take over, we are so unable to protect our country and only thanks to the US because without them we would have already been overthrown and belonged to Haiti. Still, it isn't long now because in the next 50 years that will be the case.
stillwaters 1 year, 2 months ago
And use the words illegal migrants... talking nonsense about unlawful entrants....please stop trying to normalize this crap
Economist 1 year, 2 months ago
How did the vessel get all the way to Andros without the Bahamas Defence Force not stopping them.
If we have migrants it is because the Defence Force is not doing its job.
They have several modern vessels, where are they?
Flyingfish 1 year, 2 months ago
The Defence Force needs to increase aerial surveillance capability. Without it, migrant vessels can sneak past their vessels and through our water. If the RBDF acquired some fighter or surveillance aircraft it could conduct low flying reconnaissance of Illegal migrant routes.
Allowing it to call out interception of any suspicious craft in the southern Bahamas.
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