10 more migrants apprehended in Eleuthera

10 more migrants apprehended in Eleuthera

Ten Haitian migrants were apprehended by defense force marines Wednesday, moments after they landed in Eleuthera, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) said in a statement.

The group of migrants is the second to be caught in Bahamian waters this week.

According to the RBDF, officials from Operations Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) received information of a vessel with migrants in the area and a search for the vessel was immediately launched.

The sailing boat, the defense force said, was found on a beach in Bannermantown, Eleuthera early Wednesday morning.

The migrants were discovered in bushes and handed over to immigration officers for further processing.

An RBDF patrol craft is said to be patrolling and monitoring the area.

On Friday, 50 migrants were apprehended after a United States Coast Guard (USCG) vessel and a defense force vessel were deployed to intercept their sloop.

The sloop was eventually apprehended by USCG RELIANCE, approximately 60 nautical miles west of Inagua. They were deported to Haiti immediately by the Coast Guard.

Just days before, nearly 24 hours after they were apprehended off the coast of Eleuthera Wednesday, 89 Haitian migrants were charged before the Eleuthera courts with violation of the Immigration Act.

The 64 males and 14 females were charged with illegal landing.

Eleven children were also with the group. RBDF reported that all the migrants pleaded guilty, were sentenced to conditional deportation and later deported on Thursday at 3:00 p.m., via Bahamasair jet services.