NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Department of Immigration, in collaboration with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), successfully conducted “Operation Early Bird” on Thursday January 9, 2025 within the Eastern District of New Providence, according to officials.
The enforcement initiative involved multiple units, including the Immigration K-9 Unit, Drone Unit, and SWAT Unit, working in tandem with RBPF officers.
As a result of the operation, eighteen (18) individuals were apprehended for various immigration-related offences, including illegal entry, overstaying, and outstanding document fee payments.
The apprehended individuals comprise:
Sixteen (16) Haitian nationals
One (1) Zimbabwean national
One (1) Jamaican national
All individuals were transported to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre for further investigation and processing, and some have since been repatriated to their home countries.
Additionally, from January 1 to January 13, 2025, the Department of Immigration facilitated the repatriation of sixty-six (66) foreign nationals from New Providence to their respective home countries which included 27 Haitian nationals, 25 Cuban nationals, six Dominican nationals, two Indian nationals, a Honduran, Russian, Jamaican, American, Ghanaian and an Ecuadorian.
Repatriation flights departed to Panama City, Panama; Havana, Cuba; and Kingston, Jamaica, with onward connections to the respective home countries.
During the same period, twenty (20) passengers were denied entry at Lynden Pindling International Airport. This group comprised five Russians, four Haitians, a Nigerian, Saudi Arabian, Serbian, Canadian, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan, a Guyanese national, an Italian, Jamaican and an American.
The Department of Immigration said that it remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the immigration laws of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.