By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WITH no sign the government is more aggressively enforcing the country’s immigration laws despite the passing of the December 31, 2017, deadline for illegal immigrants to leave, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold said critics “should just stay tuned”.

Since the start of the year, the Minnis administration’s strategy for ramped up efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants has been unclear.

Some Haitians in the Bahamas have said they have observed no increased activity and the pace of the Department of Immigration’s processing of applications has not improved.

“They should just wait for the immigration people to come and see them,” Mr Newbold said during his weekly press briefing yesterday.

“According to the minister responsible for immigration, (improved processing of applications) has been done and they are dealing with (that). Is it at the level it ought to be, probably not but according to the minister they are dealing with that. We say what we want and it happens and everybody gets upset. I’m sure you’ll be hearing some more from the minister of immigration.”

Asked if apprehension activities have changed since the passing of the December 31 deadline, Mr Newbold said: “I couldn’t tell you that. I know that the minister of immigration is dealing with whatever needs to happen; he’s dealing with it.”

In October, during a Parliament session, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis warned all illegal migrants they had until the end of 2017 leave the country, after which they would be “aggressively pursued and deported”.