LONG ISLAND, BAHAMAS — The Department of Immigration reported that on Saturday, December 26, 45 Haitian nationals suspected to be illegal migrants were apprehended on Long Island.
The group, consisting of 36 men and 9 women, were “lawfully arrested and detained by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and Bahamas Customs Department after their vessel came ashore at Clarence Town”, according to a statement by the Immigration Department.
Long Island MP Adrian Gibson, in a social media post, added that the apprehension was the result of “police and residents working together”.
The Immigration Department’s statement noted: “Immigration officials have been dispatched to Long Island for investigation and further processing of the migrants who are presently being held at the Community Center, Clarence Town.”
It said that the migrants all received medical attention from Ministry of Health personnel and are reported well.
The group is expected to appear in the Magistrate’s Court in Clarence Town, Long Island, on Tuesday, December 29.
The statement read: “The public is reminded that the Department of Immigration is committed to carrying out the mandates of our agency to combat illegal migration by establishing effective border control management to ensure compliance with the statute laws of our country.
“We further wish to remind members of the public that it is a criminal offence punishable by law to harbor illegal migrants in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”
