The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) apprehended 57 Haitian migrants in March 2026 on Little Inagua, the latest effort to deter illegal migration in the northeastern Caribbean region. Since 2021, the RBDF has interdicted 344 smuggling vessels and apprehended almost 12,000 migrants, according to the Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian newspaper. “We have issues with not only migrants entering The Bahamas but with migrants being consolidated and smuggled to our neighbors to the north,” Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said while inspecting a newly acquired RBDF interceptor vessel a few days before the Little Inagua operation. “By this bold action, we signal not only to our American partners and neighbors but to the world that The Bahamas is serious about eradicating human smuggling.”
On March 16, the HMBS P-50, an interceptor/SAFE boat stationed at nearby Great Inagua, was deployed after the RBDF received information about smuggling activity on the remote island at the southern tip of the Bahamian archipelago. SAFE stands for secure all-around, flotation equipped boats. Little Inagua is the largest uninhabited island in the Caribbean. In 2002, the Bahamian government designated it as a national park. The island has been a smuggling destination over the years as it lies north of Haiti and near the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The RBDF located 29 migrants on the southern side of the island. The next morning, HMBS P-50 returned and apprehended 28 more. The Haitian migrants were bound for TCI. All appeared to be in good health and were taken to Great Inagua for processing, according to an RBDF news release. “The Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains committed to protecting the territorial integrity of The Bahamas and stands ready to disrupt and deter illegal activities within the maritime domain,” the release stated.
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, Munroe and Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell toured the RBDF’s new 12.5-meter high-speed interceptor boat on March 11 at Prince George Wharf in downtown Nassau. “We have 100,000 square miles of ocean (258,999 square kilometers) to defend. That is why I am standing here today at Prince George Wharf. Take a look behind me. That is a 41-foot high-speed interceptor SAFE boat. It does 40 knots. It can operate in shallow water across our archipelago. And it is out there patrolling our borders, chasing down smugglers, protecting our fisheries,” Davis told reporters, according to the Guardian.
The new vessel demonstrates the commitment of the Bahamian government to tackle drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other criminal activity in its vast territorial waters, Davis said, according to the newspaper.
The vessel is part of an RBDF strategic defense procurement program that began more than two years ago. In May, the RBDF commissioned four new SAFE boats, which cost about $5 million each and are manufactured by SAFE Boats International, a Bermerton, Washington, company.
The company builds vessels for military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, and other agencies. More than 2,000 SAFE boats are in service in over 60 countries, the company says.