The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

REPATRIATIONS by the Department of Immigration are up 17 per cent over last year’s figures, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

The government has repatriated a total of 6,335 migrants up to December 26, with Haitians and Cubans accounting for 73 per cent and 18 per cent of that figure respectively.

The figures were included in a press statement sent on Wednesday, which sought to correct an erroneous online report concerning the recent apprehension of a Haitian vessel.

“For public information,” the ministry’s statement read, “the Department of Immigration received a report from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force on Christmas Eve that a vessel bearing suspected illegal migrants had been detected off the Exuma chain. The vessel was interdicted near the southern end of the Exuma chain by a Defence Force patrol craft.

“On board were 77 males and 22 females. The migrants were disembarked from the vessel and transported to Coral Harbour Base by the RBDF, arriving at about 1.30am on Christmas Day.

“The arrested migrants were handed over to immigration officials and are detained at the Detention Centre in New Providence, where they await repatriation.”

The ministry’s statement added: “So far up to December 26, 2016, a total of 6,335 migrants were repatriated to their home countries for the year 2016 as follows: Haitians, 4,655; Cubans, 1,179; Jamaicans, 214; Chinese, 73; Brazilians, 59; Dominican, 47; Ecuadorian, 24; others, mixed nationalities.”

The press release did not include the amount of money spent this year on the exercise, and questions placed to Immigration Director William Pratt were not returned up to press time.

In 2015, 5,398 immigrants were repatriated.