By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

REPATRIATION costs have exceeded $1.5m over the past 11 months, but the number of irregular migrants held in custody has dropped to just 50, marking a major operational shift for the Department of Immigration, Minister of Immigration and National Insurance Alfred Sears revealed during his 2025/2026 Budget Communication yesterday.

“The cost of repatriation is a significant expense of the Bahamas Immigration Department and it exerts a tremendous burden on the public purse,” Mr Sears said in the House of Assembly.

He credited a more streamlined approach for the department’s increased efficiency, saying: “The level of efficiency in repatriations by the Bahamas Immigration Department has allowed us to significantly lower the population of irregular migrants housed at the Detention Centre. As of today’s date, fifty irregular migrants are housed at the Detention Centre.”

A total of 2,910 foreign nationals were repatriated in 2024; of those, 2,196 were Haitian nationals.

This is down from 4,594 in 2023 and 4,748 in 2022, a sharp decline which signals what Mr Sears described as a more coordinated, multi-agency enforcement strategy.

He also noted that the Refugee Administration Unit processed more than 100 asylum applications during the fiscal year. However, only five individuals were granted permission to remain in The Bahamas while their refugee claims are under review.

Mr Sears also revealed that the Department of Immigration recorded that between July 2024 and May 31, 2025, the department collected $123,770,590, up from $97,658,050 over the same period in the previous fiscal year.

“It is estimated that revenue for the month of June of 2025 will exceed $11m. Madam speaker, it is projected that we will surpass $140m in revenue for the fiscal period 2024/25,” he said yesterday. 

Mr Sears said the department pursued aggressive investigations, targeted delinquent accounts, and made deliberate efforts to recover outstanding payments throughout the 2024/2025 fiscal period.

Looking ahead, the department is preparing to implement a comprehensive succession plan to address long-standing imbalances in senior and command ranks.

Additionally, he noted long-awaited promotions across all ranks will soon be finalised as last promotions exercise occurred over three years ago and was retroactively dated to July 1, 2019. Since then, attrition from retirements, terminations, resignations, and deaths has depleted the department’s human capital.

“The time has come, Madam Speaker, for us to reward our hardworking men and women and encourage them in a very tangible way,” he said, thanking Minister of the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle, Chairman Father James Moultrie, and the Public Service Commission for their role in the process.

In terms of infrastructure development, Mr Sears announced several projects, including the construction of a new K9 facility adjacent to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, a new detention facility in Freeport, renovations to the New Providence Detention Centre and Immigration Safe House, and plans for a combined detention facility and hurricane shelter in Inagua.

He also confirmed that the department would expand its presence on Long Island and Cat Island, with new offices to be established. Immigration staffing will also increase on Grand Bahama, Exuma and its cays, Eleuthera, and Abaco, in line with the government’s wider focus on economic development across the Family Islands.