The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

REPATRIATIONS of Cuban nationals skyrocketed last year, according to statistics from the Department of Immigration, which indicated that total repatriations increased by some 80 per cent over 2015.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell said the department believed that the more than 700 per cent rise in repatriations of Cuban nationals in 2016 was driven by anticipation that the United States’ “wet foot/dry foot” policy was coming to an end.

The Department of Immigration repatriated 1,287 Cuban nationals in 2016, a stark increase over the 153 persons repatriated in 2015.

Last week, the Obama administration announced the immediate cessation of the policy that has allowed Cubans who arrive in the United States without a visa a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship since 1995.

The normalisation of relations between the two countries in late 2014 led to a surge in Cuban migration to the US due to fears that the policy would subsequently be axed. The Associated Press reported that Cuban migration to the United States peaked to the highest numbers seen in the last eight years.

As he tabled the department’s statistics in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Mitchell noted that the US political administration was about to change with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, and as such, the Bahamian government will wait to assess the impact of the policy change.

According to statistics, the Department of Immigration arrested 7,357 persons in 2016. Of that figure, 6,869 persons were deported and 488 foreign nationals were released.

In 2015, 4,957 persons were arrested, 3,730 were repatriated and 571 were released.

Mr Mitchell noted that amongst foreign nationals released were persons who owed work permit fees.

Haitian nationals remain the highest number of repatriations with 5,241 for 2016. The figure represents a 65 per cent increase over 2015’s total of 3,183 persons.

Repatriations of Chinese nationals increased by 16 per cent in 2016 with just 10 more persons repatriated over 2015’s total of 63.

Repatriations of Jamaican nationals decreased by 35 per cent in 2016, with 217 nationals, over the 2015 figure of 333 nationals.

In a report last month, The Tribune reported that repatriations were up by 17 per cent. This calculation was made using figures released by the Department of Immigration in 2015, which have now proved to be inaccurate.