The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) apprehended 440 migrants in 2025, a 78% drop from the previous year, as interdictions plummeted along Cuban, Haitian and mixed-nationality routes in the Bahamas-Florida corridor, The Tribune newspaper in The Bahamas reported. In 2024, 2,019 people were intercepted.
United States Coast Guard cutters and RBDF forces detained 84 Cubans on the Cay Sal Banks as they were trying to reach Florida in 2025. In addition, 64 Haitians were apprehended as they traveled from Haiti to The Bahamas.
Most of the migrants, 292 of them, were of mixed nationalities and entered The Bahamas as tourists, The Tribune reported. They traveled to the Northern Bahamas — particularly Bimini and Grand Bahama — and were allegedly being transported illegally to the United States. They were intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard cutters and were sent back to Grand Bahama. The RBDF tallied six human smuggling events involving Cubans, one involving Haitians, and 24 events involving a mix of nationalities.
The 2025 interdictions continued a downward trend reported by the RBDF. Migrant apprehensions dropped from 3,201 in 2023 to 2,019 in 2024, a 37% reduction. Then-RBDF Commodore Raymond King noted a “general decline observed in 2024 compared to previous years, which was likely attributed to the Temporary Protected Status and two-year Residency Sponsorship Policies in the U.S. for Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans in particular.”
The U.S. Coast Guard announced in January 2025 that it was surging its forces — including cutters, aircraft and specialized personnel — to bolster maritime security along the U.S.-Mexico border, The Bahamas-Florida corridor, U.S. territories, Alaska and Hawaii. The goal is to deter illegal migration, drug smuggling and other hostile activity in coordination with the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security. The increased U.S. assets in the region have led to a drastic reduction in attempts by Cubans to reach the U.S. by sea and land.
The RBDF, meanwhile, has been expanding and updating its fleet. It commissioned four new $4.5 million SAFE Boats in May 2025. It launched a fleet restoration initiative, shipping three RBDF patrol boats to a Netherlands shipyard for extensive refurbishment in December. The Defence Force also operates Skydio multicopter and Deep Trekker underwater tethered drones to enhance its domain awareness. The RBDF inaugurated its drone program in 2020.