Bahamas, TCI, Grenada say no to Trump deportee plans

Getting ready to begin his mass deportation plans after taking office late next month, the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump has proposed sending thousands of deportees to The Bahamas, Grenada, and The Turks and Caicos Islands, but all three Caribbean Community nations have rejected the offer outright.

Bahamian Prime Minister Phillip Davis is the one who exposed the proposal from the Trump camp, saying in a statement late Thursday that “this matter was presented to the government of The Bahamas but was reviewed and firmly rejected by the prime minister. The Bahamas simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request,” said Davis, whose multi-island nation off Florida has itself been battling with immigration issues. “Since the prime minister’s rejection of this proposal, there has been no further engagement or discussions with the Trump transition team or any other entity regarding this matter. The government of The Bahamas remains committed to its position,” the PM stated.

The TCI, an associated member of CARICOM, was also identified by the Trump transition team as yet another venue to accept deportees from third countries. The latest word is that authorities there have also firmly rejected Trump’s idea.

The proposals come as both countries are battling to deal with Haitian boat people fleeing escalating violence in the country and are known to be paranoid about any large influx of migrants. As it currently stands, nearly a third of The Bahamas’ population is made up of Haitians and other migrants as officials complain about the strain on health and other services. Other countries named as possible ports for deported migrants are Panama and Grenada.

The regional countries receiving the proposal were reacting to an NBC news report on Dec. 5, which indicated that the transition team had reached out to the nations as possible destinations for mass deportation flights. Grenada has stoutly denied even engaging in any talks with transition officials.

“The office of the prime minister advises that the government of Grenada has not engaged in any discussion regarding the deportation of migrants to Grenada. Furthermore, no proposal has been presented regarding this matter. This clarification comes amidst concerns raised surrounding an NBC news article claiming that the incoming Trump Administration plans to deport some migrants to some countries other than their own.”