Wednesday, February 5, 2025
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
THE Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) reported a five percent increase in immigration-related offences in 2024 compared to 2023, with 101 cases recorded, up from 96 the previous year.
Police reported an 83 percent increase in illegal landings, rising from six cases in 2023 to 11 in 2024. Overstaying incidents rose from three cases in 2023 to five in 2024. In contrast, immigration violations leading to deportation decreased by 28 percent, falling from 78 cases in 2023 to 56 in 2024.
Although police statistics reflect an increase in offences, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) reported a 37 percent decline in migrant apprehensions in 2024, with 2,019 interceptions compared to 3,207 in 2023.
Defence Force Commodore Raymond King attributed the drop to US immigration policies, including the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Residency Sponsorship programmes, which provided legal protections to migrants from Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela. Commodore King explained that these policies likely reduced migration pressures by allowing migrants to remain in the US legally, decreasing the number of attempted crossings.
However, he cautioned that this trend could reverse if the incoming Trump administration follows through with plans to rescind these protections. Haitian nationals accounted for the majority of migration activity in 2024, with 875 people intercepted across 11 incidents en route to The Bahamas.
While a general decline in Haitian migration was observed compared to previous years, an uptick in migration towards the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) was noted in late 2024. Cuban migration patterns, on the other hand, showed an increase, with 112 Cuban nationals intercepted in nine incidents near the Cay Sal Banks. December 2024 and January 2025 saw heightened activity as more individuals attempted to reach Florida.
Apprehension figures revealed fluctuating monthly trends throughout 2024. March recorded the highest number of apprehensions, with 516 migrants intercepted, followed by 331 in April. The lowest monthly figure was recorded in July, with only 26 apprehensions. May and December each saw 49 apprehensions.
2024’s apprehension figures remain significantly lower than 2022, which saw 4,313 migrants intercepted — the highest in recent years. Similarly, deportation-related immigration offences have steadily declined, from 114 cases in 2021 to 95 in 2022, and down to 56 in 2024. However, categories such as illegal landings and overstaying have shown periodic increases, underscoring the unpredictable nature of migration patterns.
Comments
ExposedU2C says...
Once again, much too little, much too late. Repatriations only ever occur when the 'heat' gets turned up on our corrupt politicians.
President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio and Florida Governor DeSantis are each acutely aware that for decades now successive corrupt Bahamian governments have failed to help in any meaningful way the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. DEA fight the many thousands of illegal aliens and tons of illegal drugs flowing into the U.S. through the Bahamas, preferring instead to focus on greatly enriching our most corrupt senior politicians and their favoured cronies in the private sector.
It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out for whom in our small nation the bell doth now toll.
Posted 5 February 2025, 11:42 a.m. Suggest removal
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