Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis unveiled a new immigration policy and security law. Revealing the challenges of illegal immigration, especially from Haiti, said: “We have a comprehensive plan to curb the flow of migrants to our islands and actively identify and return those who enter our country illegally. He announced the launch of “Operation Security” , an aggressive campaign by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Defense Force and Immigration, which aims to target all illegal immigrants (mainly Haitians), their employers and illegal structures where they live in the Bahamas.”
Davis said Haiti’s migration burden is the reason he refused to sign a pledge at the June 2022 Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles that included a commitment to take care of refugees, despite the fact that 21 other countries in the hemisphere, including Caribbean partners such as Barbados and Jamaica are signatories to the agreement.
“Our small nation (an archipelago of 180,000 km2) cannot bear a greater burden. We stand firm in that position,” Davis said, adding: “Despite earlier this year, when the United Nations called on countries in our region to stop deportations. to Haiti, I have decided to resume repatriation. It is estimated that over 80,000 Haitians live (mostly illegally) in the Bahamas, a country of only 350,000 people.
“Illegal immigrants living in unregulated (slum) communities must be resettled at their own expense or repatriated,” Davis said, adding that “slums are a challenge and a problem in this country and their demolition is urgent. can cause a serious homeless problem. In the Bahamas.
It is no use reacting to one crisis to create another. “ Despite the complexity of the task, this does not prevent us from taking measures to stop undocumented vessels in our waters. » Last year the Bahamas repatriated a record number of ,7 8 people. Illegal arrivals will not end in 2023, and let us remind you: “We already returned illegals to Cuba, Haiti, Guyana, Dominica, America, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Brazil but Haitians represent the largest number of migrants and the greatest concern of the Bahamian government.