Bahamas has imprisoned 10 Haitians who illegally sneaked into the country in a move the government hopes serves as a major deterrent to others.
The Bahamian Department of Immigration said in all, 56 Haitians, including 50 men, were arrested on November 9 this year at Deadman’s Cay on Long Island.
The Department added that a “check of the border control management system revealed that 10 of the migrants convicted were repeated [sic] offenders.” While the 46 others were set for deportation, the others were arraigned before court.
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The Nassau Guardian reports that in the past few weeks, scores of Haitians have been convicted on charges related to unlawful entry into the Bahamas.
But the Haitian Charge D’Affaires in Bahamas has voiced concerns over the severity of the punishment meted out to the 10.
Dorval Darlier suggested that there was very little point in holding on as prisoners, people who could easily be deported home.
“I know that The Bahamas is a country of law, but sometimes you have to see it like the humanitarian way because…there isn’t a major crime,” said Darlier.
“If you keep someone in jail, you are to take care of them. You are to feed [them]. I think it’s [better] for the government to just send them back.”
Bahamas is one of the Caribbean’s most stable and prosperous countries. The archipelago of islands has in recent years been the destination of some desperate Caribbeans in search of economic opportunities.
