Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said in a statement that the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) was deploying significant assets, including surface ships, aircraft and 120 RBDF personnel, to combat illegal immigration in the context of the worsening crisis in Haiti and an increase in illegal attempts to enter Bahamian waters.

The recent escapes of nearly 5,000 prisoners in Haiti hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41847-haiti-news-zapping.html and https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41793-haiti-flash-the-national-penitentiary-stormed-many-prisoners-escape-chaos-in-the-capital-video.html have caused the intensification of efforts to secure the borders of the Bahamas, to protect them, the authorities have increased patrols over thousands of km2 of ocean and launched a blockade operation in the South of the Bahamas, focusing on areas close to Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41811-haiti-flash-the-bahamas-implement-a-blockade-on-the-south-east-of-the-archipelago.html . The operation includes the deployment of ships, aircraft and personnel with the aim of effectively monitoring and intercepting boats arriving from Haiti.

He specified that operations would focus on the northern coast of Haiti, the Old Bahama Canal and the Windward Passage explaining that the United States and the United Kingdom would position assets in the region and that intelligence would be shared between those responsible of the Bahamas, the United States Coast Guard, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cuban Border Patrol.

Davis stressed that he did not sign an agreement to welcome refugees at the 2022 Summit of the Americas. "I continue to believe this is the right decision for our country [...] We Bahamians are a compassionate people, but we simply cannot absorb additional burdens or security risks at home."

The RBDF has apprehended 247 Haitians in recent weeks, including 50 Haitians in an irregular migration situation, on Saturday March 16, 2024, approximately 8 km west of Bell Island.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41847-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41811-haiti-flash-the-bahamas-implement-a-blockade-on-the-south-east-of-the-archipelago.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41793-haiti-flash-the-national-penitentiary-stormed-many-prisoners-escape-chaos-in-the-capital-video.html

S/ HaitiLibre