Thursday, Bahamian authorities informed that the Royal Bahamas Defense Force intercepted a boat near the island of Great Exuma, carrying 112 Boat People (93 men and 19 women) from Haiti. The Immigration Department has indicated that these illegal migrants, will be transferred to Nassau, and then returned to Haiti.

Also the Royal Bahamas Defense Force also sought in vain another boat of migrants reported in a large area of the archipelago.

Recall that Haitian migrants, have long used the Bahamas as a gateway to reach the United States, but in recent years, they settled in increasing numbers in the chain of islands. This year the Bahamas has imposed new restrictions on residency and work permits to discourage migrants https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12549-haiti-politic-duly-brutus-very-preoccupied-about-the-situation-of-haitians-in-the-bahamas.html

Recall that at the same period last year, the authorities of the Turks and Caicos Islands (southeast of the Bahamas and 240 kilometers north of Haiti) intercepted off Providenciales, an overloaded boat carrying about 50 people of Haitian origin 33 people [20 men, one 12 year old child and 12 women] had could be rescued while 17 victims were deplored. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10166-haiti-social-sad-christmas.html

Note that according to the National Migration Office (ONM) of Haiti, the Bahamas deported to Haiti, 4,229 Haitians for 2014 (not counting those 112 new migrants). These figures do not include those of organizations of Haitian civil society working with migration.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12709-haiti-politic-bahamas-haiti-the-regularization-problem-of-illegal-migrants-unsolved.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12549-haiti-politic-duly-brutus-very-preoccupied-about-the-situation-of-haitians-in-the-bahamas.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12477-haiti-politic-the-hunt-for-illegals-is-open-to-the-bahamas.html

SL/ HaitiLibre