NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas government Friday reiterated that it has held no discussions with President -elect Donald Trump regarding the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country being among jurisdictions that have been identified to send deportation flights for Washington’s promised mass deportation program next year.
In a release titled “Statement of Clarification on The Bahamas’ Position Regarding Migration Proposals,” the Office of the Prime Minister noted that in June, 2022, Prime Minister Philip Davis attended the Summit of the Americas, “where regional migration was one of the items on the agenda”.
It said that during the Summit, countries were asked to sign a declaration on migration, which included “language suggesting that countries support and host undocumented migrants.
“The Bahamas did not sign this declaration, although 20 countries in the region di,” the statement said.
“The Prime Minister made it clear to President (Joe) Biden that our country will not bear this burden. We need to devote Bahamian resources to solving Bahamian problems,” the statement added.
It said that earlier this week, NBC News and other media reported that the Trump transition team is proposing a list of countries to which it may deport migrants, and that The Bahamas, along with other nations in the region, was included on the list.
“Our office released a statement in response to the list and proposal as reported by the media, and restated our country’s position, which is that we are unwilling and unable to accept migrants.
“To be clear, our office responded to the proposal as characterized by the press, rather than any formal proposal made to us by President-elect Trump’s transition team, with whom we have not discussed the matter.”
The statement said that the United States and The Bahamas “have long enjoyed a strong, productive relationship based on mutual interests,” adding “we look forward to engaging constructively across a range of important issues with the incoming Trump Administration”.
The US-based nbcnews.com reported that the Trump transition team has already reached out to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada to work out a deal under which they would agree to receive deportation flights from the U.S.
The report states that the plan to deport migrants, whose home countries are reluctant to accept them to third-party countries where they may have no connection, would be a way for the new Trump administration to work around that issue as it creates what Trump has promised will be “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
The incoming Trump administration which will be sworn into office in January 2025 has a goal of deporting migrants within a week of their arrest and believes this policy will help expedite deportations.
