Immigration Officials Call Human Trafficking Report “Exaggerated”

However, in a press release issued Sunday, the department called it "a gross exaggeration" to suggest that there is widespread advantage being taken of undocumented illegal immigrants.

The department pledges to "vigorously pursue claims by victims of trafficking, enact and implement legislation and enforce the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children."

As of Sunday, The Bahamas had yet to ratify that protocol, despite having signed it in April 2001.

In the release, the Department of Immigration appears to take exception to some aspects of a recent report issued by the U.S. State Department labeling The Bahamas a "special case" when it comes to the human trafficking issue.

The department said it "takes the issue of trafficking in persons seriously, and has formulated and implemented strategies to effectively address this phenomenon," which the department called "a new concept for The Bahamas."

No strategies are outlined in the release.

The release urges any trafficking victims to contact the Department of Social Services, and promised not to hold victims of trafficking "in detention while their cases are being investigated."

Assistant Director of the Department of Immigration William Nottage told the Journal on Friday that in his opinion, it is unlikely that a victim of human trafficking would seek the aid of immigration officials for fear of deportation.

While not explicitly disagreeing with the US report’s assertion that The Bahamas "may be a country of destination for men and women trafficked from other countries for the purpose of labour exploitation," the department said that "for the most part, the immigrants who find themselves in The Bahamas come here voluntarily for purely economic reasons."

The release states that the department is not aware of any incidences where persons were trafficked to The Bahamas for the purpose of labour exploitation, and encourages anyone with evidence of this to report the matter to Labour or Immigration officials.

However, Assistant Director Nottage told the Journal that he had been told by fellow immigration officers of one or two cases in which persons were trafficked to The Bahamas for labour exploitation.

The release also states that while the Bahamas Immigration Act does not specifically use the term "trafficking," it does address the movement of migrants to and through the country.

The International Organization for Migration has called for specific counter-trafficking legislation region-wide, and the US State Department has also called for such legislation to be considered in The Bahamas.

In fact, the Department of Immigration release notes the IOM’s assistance in "training Bahamian officials to identify vulnerable groups who may be trafficked to or through The Bahamas."