More than 1,800 Haitians repatriated so far in 2022
More than 1,800 Haitians have already been repatriated for the year, according to data provided by the Department of Immigration.
Three hundred and twenty Haitians were repatriated in January, 130 in February, 499 in March, 386 in April and 225 in May.
There has been a decline in repatriations in the last three months.
Only 20 Haitians were repatriated on June, 29 in July and 183 in August.
Fifty-one Haitians were repatriated between September 1 and September 7.
Last year, 2,815 migrants were repatriated by the Department of Immigration. Of that figure, 2,219 migrants were Haitian.
The Bahamas has experienced a surge in Haitian migration this year.
Earlier this week, Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Dr Raymond King said just under 2,400 migrants – primarily Haitian – had been apprehended in Bahamian waters since January. This exceeds the number of migrants arrested in the last three years combined.
“What we’ve found now is those vessels are moving high on the Grand Bahama Bank,” he told reporters.
“They are trying to be mysterious from the Cuban Border Patrol and the United States Coast Guard by coming high in our internal waters, by coming on the bank itself. That seems to be a trend we must pay attention to.”
Economic and social challenges have deepened in Haiti, which in recent months has witnessed various atrocities at the hands of street gangs.
In July, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner said it was deeply concerned by the worsening of violence in Port-au-Prince and the rise in human rights abuses committed by heavily armed gangs against the local population.
“We urge the authorities to ensure that all human rights are protected and placed at the front and centre of their responses to the crisis,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.
“The fight against impunity and sexual violence, along with the strengthening of human rights monitoring and reporting, must remain a priority.”
From January to the end of June, the office documented 934 killings, 684 injuries and 680 kidnappings across the capital.
Over five days, from July 8-12, at least 234 more people were killed or injured in gang-related violence in the Cité Soleil area of the city.
Last month, Prime Minister Philip Davis said the deteriorating situation in Haiti concerned Bahamian officials.
He described the illegal migration of Haitians to The Bahamas as “a security issue”.
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