NASSAU| A mass exercise is currently underway by law enforcement agencies to extract approximately four hundred (400), Haitian migrants, from an uninhabited cay in the Ragged Island chain.
The RBDF Operations Department was informed by a local fisherman shortly after 11:00 am Sunday that a suspected Haitian vessel was seen partially submerged off Flamingo cay. A group of individuals was also sighted on Flamingo and Water Cays, Ragged Island. Officials from Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) also were informed and proceeded to the area and confirmed the sighting. Defence Force assets along with Police Marines and Immigration officials were also alerted, and were dispatched to the area, and are already on the scene while Her Majesty’s Bahamian Ships Lawrence Major and Lignum Vitae are enroute to Flamingo Cay and adjacent Cays to extract this latest group of migrants.
This latest incident follows the apprehension of over five hundred (500) Haitian nationals within the past week. Those individuals are currently detained in Matthew Town, Inagua, and are being processed by the relevant authority.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force continues to maintain a vigilant watch against the migrant surge, and remains committed to collaborating with local and international partner agencies, and the fishing community, while protecting the territorial integrity of The Bahamas and keeping our borders secured.
