Coral Harbour Base, 9 December 2019 – The Bahamas – A
joint maritime operation between the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Police Force,
Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands (OPBAT), and the United States Coast
Guard on Saturday past resulted in the apprehension of 39 Haitian nationals in
the southern Bahamas.
The
migrants (26 males, 13 females) were spotted on an isolated cay off the south
eastern coast of Great Inagua earlier in the week. Because of the rocky
terrain, efforts to reach the migrants
by land and sea proved difficult. However, a US helo was dispatched to assist
in removing the migrants.
The
migrants were eventually removed from the cay and turned over to Immigration
officials in Inagua for further processing.
This
is the second group of migrants to be caught in Bahamian waters within the past
month. On November 8th, a total of 58 undocumented Haitian migrants were
apprehended near Deadman’s Cay, Long Island aboard a 40-ft sloop. They have
since been charged before the courts and repatriated.
The
state of the art Kelvin Hughes long range coastal radar installed at the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force Base in Inagua has proven to be effective in the fight
against illicit activities. There has also been an increased maritime presence
by Defence Force assets with the support from the USCG Aerial reconnaissance.
The
Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains committed to defending the territorial
integrity of The Bahamas.
(For
further information please contact the RBDF Public Relations Section or visit
our website: www.rbdf.gov.bs, follow us on Facebook, and view our Youtube channel)
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