The Bahamas says it has rejected a proposal from the transition crew of United States President-elect Donald Trump to soak up migrants from different international locations who could also be deported by the incoming administration.
In a assertion on Thursday, the workplace of Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis mentioned the scheme to have the Bahamas settle for deportation flights “was reviewed and firmly rejected”.
“The Bahamas merely doesn’t have the assets to accommodate such a request,” Davis’s workplace mentioned.
“Because the Prime Minister’s rejection of this proposal, there was no additional engagement or discussions with the Trump transition crew or some other entity concerning this matter. The Authorities of The Bahamas stays dedicated in its place.”
Trump, who received final month’s US presidential election and can take workplace on January 20, has promised to hold out the “largest deportation operation” within the nation’s historical past.
The Workplace of the Prime Minister needs to deal with current reviews concerning a proposal from the Trump transition crew in the US for The Bahamas to simply accept deportation flights of migrants from different international locations. This matter was offered to the Authorities of The Bahamas…
— Latrae L. Rahming (DOC)🇧🇸 (@latraelrahming) December 5, 2024
The proposed effort has spurred condemnation from rights advocates and raised questions in regards to the feasibility of eradicating hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants from the nation.
The Division of Homeland Safety estimates 11 million “unauthorised” folks lived within the US as of 2022. The Bahamas census for a similar 12 months reveals the nation has lower than 400,000 folks whole.
Trump’s deportation plans may even seemingly check the boundaries of his energy as president, as any “mass deportation” would contain authorized challenges and cooperation with overseas governments.
Citing three unnamed sources, NBC Information reported earlier on Thursday that Trump’s crew was making ready a listing of nations that it might ship migrants to ought to their dwelling international locations not comply with take them again.
The listing included the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama and Grenada, the sources informed the US information outlet.
In 2019, throughout Trump’s first time period as president, the US signed a take care of Guatemala forcing asylum seekers who transited by the Central American nation on their strategy to the US-Mexico border to first apply for cover there.
The so-called “protected third nation” settlement allowed the Trump administration to deport folks from third international locations, corresponding to Honduras and El Salvador, to Guatemala.
It stays unclear whether or not any international locations will agree to soak up deported, third-country migrants and asylum seekers when Trump takes workplace once more in January.
Final month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California sued US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to acquire information revealing how the company’s deportation flights might be expanded to hold out a mass deportation programme.
“Little is understood about how President-elect Trump would perform its mass deportation agenda, however what we do know is that this proposal has already instilled worry amongst immigrant communities,” Eva Bitran, director of immigrants’ rights on the ACLU chapter, mentioned in a press release.
“The general public has a proper to know the way its taxpayer {dollars} might be used to fund deportation flights that might tear aside not solely households, but in addition our communities.”
In the meantime, Trump continues to advertise his hardline immigration insurance policies, threatening final month to impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada “till such time as Medicine, specifically Fentanyl, and all unlawful Aliens cease this Invasion of our Nation!”
Canada has since promised to bolster border safety whereas Mexico — which has already been finishing up a crackdown on migrants and asylum seekers making an attempt to succeed in the US — made the most important fentanyl seizure in its historical past this week.
Throughout a information convention on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned she hoped to succeed in a take care of the Trump administration in order that Mexico wouldn’t have to soak up third-country deportees.
“We hope to succeed in an settlement with the Trump administration in order that, in case these [massive] deportations occur, they ship folks from different international locations on to their international locations of origin,” she mentioned.
Mexico, she added, was “in solidarity with everybody, however our most important function is to obtain Mexicans”.