Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis dropped new legislation in Parliament that cranks up penalties for anyone running migrant-smuggling operations through the islands, and the bill lets prosecutors go after people who plan routes, finance trips, or hide migrants, whether the whole thing happens inside Bahamian territory or not. Offenders can get hit with fines reaching $300,000 plus prison time stretching to 15 years, and authorities can grab boats, cars, and other stuff tied to smuggling rings.
Davis said the government shipped out over 13,000 migrants over the past couple of years while detention centers emptied from faster processing, and he told Bahamians renting houses or lending vessels to smugglers that helping these networks will wreck their lives through the justice system. The administration beefed up border security with patrol boats, drones, and radar gear while refusing to sign deals that would force them to accept more people or stop sending Haitians back home.
The prime minister warned migrants not to trust criminals who pack overloaded boats and dump passengers into open water without caring if they survive, saying anyone entering illegally gets sent back regardless.
Davis said the government shipped out over 13,000 migrants over the past couple of years while detention centers emptied from faster processing, and he told Bahamians renting houses or lending vessels to smugglers that helping these networks will wreck their lives through the justice system. The administration beefed up border security with patrol boats, drones, and radar gear while refusing to sign deals that would force them to accept more people or stop sending Haitians back home.
The prime minister warned migrants not to trust criminals who pack overloaded boats and dump passengers into open water without caring if they survive, saying anyone entering illegally gets sent back regardless.
