By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King said the northern Bahamas has seen a 90 per cent increase in migration to the United States.

However, he said migration from Haiti to The Bahamas has significantly declined, with no reported or detected migrant landings in 2023.

He gave statistics during a briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

He said February had the highest number of apprehensions of migrants, saying 563 were apprehended.

“As it relates to The Bahamas, we encounter Haitians, Cubans, Jamaicans, Dominicans, Chinese and Ecuadorian in surging numbers as of late,” he said. “The northern Bahamas, the mixed nationality migration to the state of Florida continues to increase.”

 He said people from 28 nationalities tried to migrate to Florida, half of which were Haitian.

 “We are looking at absolute figures of 1,500 migrants detained versus 800 for fiscal year 22,” he added. “In the southern Bahamas, Haitian nationals, we’ve seen a significant, a very significant decrease in irregular migration from Haiti to The Bahamas compared to previous years.”

 “Specifically, looking at years 2023 to 2022, we would have experienced a percentage decrease of some 22 per cent, that is 2,800 migrants versus 3,600 for 2022. I’m pleased to report that there have been no migrant landings in The Bahamas for the year 2023, reported, detected, or otherwise.”

 Nonetheless, officials have seen a larger percentage of women and children comprising migration numbers.

 “We continue to fortify our presence in that area,” Mr King said of the northern Bahamas. “We’ve experienced significant success, a number of arrests.”

 He said in one incident, 30 Ecuadorians were found near Cat Cay.

 He said The Bahamas has experienced a diminished migration number of attempts by Cubans. Instead, the United States has experienced a steady flow of Cuban nationals in the southern Florida strait.

 “For the fiscal years 22 and 23, an average of some 3,500 Cuban nationals have been intercepted attempting to reach a state of Florida,” he said.

 The commodore also spoke about the other transnational threats, specifically illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

 “We’re now faced with a shift in their strategy as we speak right now. What we’re encountering, those Dominican fishing vessels are now using the territorial seas of the Republic of Cuba,” he said.

 “They are now sending those smaller vessels, those skiffs across The Bahama Channel on the verge of the Great Bahama Bank, which makes it extremely difficult to detect those small skiffs with two people on board.

 “They would move in a clandestine way at night back to the middle of the channel, a much larger vessel, still small, but secure the fishery products, then move to the mother ship in the Cuban territorial seas.

 “We have moved resources. We intend to flood the banks. We intend to dominate that area.”

 Meanwhile, he discussed the proliferation of the smuggling of illicit firearms, ammunition parts and components.

 He said about 350 weapons have been seized in operations involving RBDF members.

 “The methods of maritime trafficking: use of containers, sailing vessels, fishing vessels, go-fast vessels, merchant vessels, semi-submersible vessels, and a term called parasite modality. That is where those large container vessels, freight vessels,” he said.

 The drugs tend to be tied to the underside of the vessels, which encounter smaller vessels that receive those drugs.

 There was an 11 per cent decrease in illicit drug arrests, but in terms of poundage, there was an increase of 217 per cent.