Due to the significant arrivals of irregular migrants to the country usually by sea, thirty-eight immigration officers from The Bahamas benefitted of a training program to gain critical skills in border management. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provided specialized courses to them on standards for identifying migrants in vulnerable situations and victims, who may have been exploited and faced significant risks to their lives and security during their journey.

Capacity building activities were held by IOM in Grand Bahama (14-15 March) and Bimini (18-19 March), as a decisive action for combatting smuggling and trafficking of migrants. Participants developed response plans based on their operational and institutional experience. Their feedback provides recommendations that relevant authorities would evaluate and adopt. 

Deron Brooks, Senior Immigration Officer, mentioned that now “we can better detect those, who are coming to our borders, we are able to identify those who are victims… and offer assistance”. He also highlighted the importance of extending the training beyond the capital Nassau, as the challenges are present across the islands.

IOM will continue working with the Government of The Bahamas, including the Immigration Department. Upcoming activities will build on these initial trainings and their outcomes, and IOM will engage other departments of government to reinforce a whole-of-government approach to countering migrant smuggling and human trafficking. This capacity building action complements IOM’s Migration Governance Indicators assessment that is currently underway in The Bahamas, as the country explores how to devise a national migration policy with an approach which respects the human rights of all.

These activities are being conducted as part of IOM’s Western Hemisphere Program, funded by the United States Department of State Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) and they are in accordance with the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), objectives 1, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 23, and the Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, please contact: Zahrah Jibrilu, zjibrilu@iom.int