TCI News
Over 1.2 Million Views: TCI Border Force Crackdown on Illegal Residents Captivates Public
Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media & Wilkie Arthur | Eagle Legal News
Turks and Caicos, September 6, 2025 – Dramatic video of Border Force and TCI Regiment immigration enforcement activity in Providenciales has now racked up more than 1.2 million views online, underscoring the intense public interest in the government’s elevated push to rid the islands of illegal residents.
The footage, captured between September 1 and 3, shows chaotic and at times desperate scenes. In one viral clip, a barefoot woman is
seen running with a toddler in her arms before being recaptured by officers. Other videos reveal undocumented migrants abandoning vehicles in panic, darting into shops to escape, or being marched under heavy guard into the backs of trucks.
Combined, the clips tell a dramatic story: one with 1.1 million views, another drawing 57,000, another 48,000, another 24,000, and at least one more circulating with uncounted numbers. Together, they demonstrate just how closely the public is watching — and how popular these actions have become.
The operations are part of a relentless crackdown that has swept through communities over the past two months. Border Force officers, many visibly armed, have been joined by the TCI Regiment in enforcing raids and deportations. Eagle Legal News Media captured Haitian citizens being escorted to a deportation flight bound for Haiti on September 3, with officials stressing these were not boat arrivals but individuals found inland — at construction sites, businesses, and residential areas.
“These are not people off the boats,” one officer told Eagle Legal. “These are those residing among us undocumented, going about their daily lives as normal.”
The high-profile operations follow last month’s demolition of more than 220 illegal homes in a sprawling unauthorized settlement, which
authorities said were unsafe, unregulated, and unlawfully occupied. Together, the demolitions and deportations highlight the government’s uncompromising stance.
Unlike many controversial enforcement drives, these raids are being widely applauded. Across social media, there has been no significant public condemnation — instead, a groundswell of approval as islanders share and comment on the videos.
Minister of Border Services Hon. Jamell Robinson has reinforced the government’s position, saying the TCI will not remain a soft target for illegal settlement and undocumented labor.
What is clear is that enforcement has shifted gears. Once focused mainly on intercepting migrant boats at sea, the Border Force is now aggressively pursuing those who have already embedded themselves inland. For many islanders, the viral videos are not just shocking images but a reassurance that authorities are serious about restoring control — and that, for now, the public is strongly behind them.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
