The Tribune

FOURTEEN foreign nationals were convicted yesterday of immigration-related offences after appearing before Assistant Chief Magistrate Kara Deveaux in the Magistrate’s Court.

The group, made up of 13 Haitian nationals and one Honduran national, was convicted of offences including overstaying, illegal landing, knowingly attempting to mislead an immigration officer, possession of a forged document and use of a forged document.

They were fined between $300 and $3,000 and sentenced to custodial terms of between one month and one year at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. All were ordered to be handed over to the Department of Immigration after paying their fines or completing their sentences for deportation.

Among those convicted was Haitian national Maximus Romeus, also known as Raphael Regis, who was arrested on December 9 during a routine immigration status check. Prosecutors said he provided a false name to immigration officers and presented a work permit that had not been issued to him.

Romeus was convicted of knowingly attempting to mislead an immigration officer, possession of a forged document and use of a forged document. He was fined $1,000 and sentenced to one year on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently. In default of payment, he will serve an additional six months in prison.

The Department of Immigration said its enforcement unit conducted immigration status checks across New Providence between December 6 and 12, during which approximately 75 foreign nationals were processed. These included 67 Haitian nationals, one Honduran national, one Mexican national, one Nigerian national and five Jamaican nationals.

During the same period, the department’s deportation and removal units carried out deportation orders for 29 Haitian nationals, three Chinese nationals, three Ecuadorian nationals and one Dominican national, who were returned to their respective countries.

The department said all security and health protocols were observed during the operations.