NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – Bahamas law enforcement officials say they apprehended nearly 100 illegal Haitian immigrants after they landed at Landrail Point in Crooked Island Tuesday.

Police said that they have so far detained 92 people and “along with residents are continuing their search for the remaining immigrants”.

The police did not say how many others entered Crooked Island illegally after the “Haitian sloop” landed late Tuesday.

The arrival of the Haitians comes less than a week after Haiti’s Ambassador to The Bahamas, A Antonio Rodrigue met with the Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville to discuss various issues including a “huge” Haitian population.

 “One of the things I am certain that we would go into discussion with is the immigration aspects. We would also go into discussion on documentation and the ease of translation of documents from French to English and for them to be notarised in Haiti or the possibility of being notarised in The Bahamas so that our Department of Immigration would be in a position to expedite matters as it relates to immigration,” Darville said.

“One of the things we realise, in the Haitian community there are issues about citizenship for children who were born in this country of both Haitian parents.

“That is something that our government is looking at because we definitely want to make sure that we do not have individuals in our country who are stateless, and in order for them to be a part of this country we have to find ways to expedite their citizenship in The Bahamas,” he added.

Earlier this month 25 Haitians landed in the north coast parish of Portland, Jamaica. They were repatriated about four days later.