The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ACTING Immigration Director William Pratt said officials are working on a contingency plan to repatriate Haitian migrants to Haiti now that many airlines, including Bahamasair, have halted flights there.

His comment yesterday came after the Royal Bahamas Defence Force apprehended at least 247 people in recent days, first in waters off Turks and Caicos Islands, then near Inagua.

“We are working on a contingency plan to deal with it, so hopefully, if everything comes through, we’ll see what happens,” Mr Pratt said yesterday.

Last week, Mr Pratt said Bahamasair planes usually carry 50 to 70 people to Haiti per trip. He said other planes the government charters can have a maximum of 25 people.

 However, according to international reports, the majority of commercial flights at Haitian airports have been suspended amidst the surge in gang violence.

 Mr Pratt said the airport in Cap-Haitien may reopen on Friday, potentially allowing repatriation exercises to resume with charter planes.

 RBDF Commodore Raymond King told The Nassau Guardian on Tuesday that defence force vessels may be used to transport migrants.

 “We are taking steps to repatriate this most recent group, which may occur by virtue of one of our vessels, possibly repatriating them to Cap-Haitien,” he said.

 Mr Pratt said the country’s capacity to adequately house Haitians in Inagua has improved. His comment came after a photo published on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, sparked uproar and a debate about how migrants are treated in the country. The photo showed dozens of migrants sleeping outside.

 Mr Pratt said the photo is old.

“That must have been around years ago when we had the overflow in the detention centre years ago,” he said. “That’s before even some additional dorms were built.”

 “That is not what is happening.”

 “We have sufficient space. We are not to our capacity.”

 He said when facilities have too many migrants, tents are erected to provide shelter.