By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

Kirklyn Neely, head of the Immigration Department’s Enforcement Unit, yesterday warned anyone harbouring illegal migrants that they will feel the full brunt of the law once caught.

Up to press time, Mr Neely said officers were still unsuccessful in finding anyone believed to have been on board the large empty sloop discovered on the shoreline of Adelaide Beach last weekend.

According to the Immigration Act, the version amended in 2015, the fine for breaking this law is $10,000 or five years in prison or both.

Mr Neely also moved to dispel speculation that the boat could have been used for another purpose because immigration officers have yet to find any of the boat’s passengers despite continued sweeps throughout the country.

The sweeps, up to Friday, have led to the capture of 210 people for the week and included various nationalities among them Haitian, American, Colombian, Peruvian and Jamaican.

“Now it is important that Bahamians note for harbouring illegal immigrants the fine is a hefty $10,000 or five years imprisonment or both,” Mr Neely told The Tribune during an interview on Friday.

“This comes under Immigration Act section 47 (A) the amendment version, which was amended on May 5th 2015 giving us permission to charge anybody $10,000 or five years in prison or both.

“So we need to send a warning out to Bahamians or anyone harbouring that that’s what it is.”

Asked to comment on speculation that the sloop could have been used for another purpose outside of human smuggling, Mr Neely said: “Come on man, the boat wasn’t used for another purpose. Let’s do the math. Let’s dispel that.

“What we need to find is the people who are hiding these people.

“Ain’t no boat gonna just appear on a beach empty and have wet clothes on it and on the ground. Come on now.

“We need to find these people who are hiding and encouraging these people.”

He continued: “Information was given that these people are being moved from house to house in the night and the wee wee hours of the morning. So we need to dispel that. The boat brought in people.”

Mr Neely said there were 28 people apprehended on Monday, 57 Tuesday, 30 on Wednesday, 41 on Thursday and on Friday there were 35 people detained.

Immigration officers in Eleuthera also took into custody ten people while nine others were arrested in Abaco.

Asked whether these people will face charges in court, Mr Neely said on Thursday: “It’s difficult to march 175 people off to court. They will be taken to the Detention Centre and sent home.”

Fred Smith, QC, president of Rights Bahamas, has railed against this and accused the Minnis administration of violating the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code.

He called on the Minister of Immigration Brent Symonette and Immigration Director William Pratt to present all the recently detained people to the courts.

Mr Smith said for the people detained this week he planned to apply for habeas corpus or a writ requiring a person under arrest be brought before a judge or into court to secure the person’s release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.