Bahamas Rejects Trump’s Migrant Deportation Proposal
The Bahamas has firmly rejected a proposal from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team to accept deported migrants from the United States, Al Jazeera reports, citing the office of Prime Minister Philip Davis.
The plan, which would have seen the Bahamas become a destination for deportation flights, was deemed unacceptable by the Bahamian government.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20, has vowed to implement the “largest deportation operation” in US history. This ambitious plan, targeting an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the US (according to Department of Homeland Security figures), has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights advocates and raised serious questions about its feasibility. The Bahamas, with a population of less than 400,000 (based on the 2022 census), is vastly smaller than the US and simply could not accommodate such a large-scale deportation effort.
NBC News, citing three unnamed sources, reported earlier Thursday that Trump’s team was compiling a list of potential countries to receive deported migrants, including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama, and Grenada. The report highlights the potential international backlash Trump’s deportation policy could trigger.
Trump’s immigration plans are also likely to face significant legal challenges. Any mass deportation effort would require extensive legal maneuvering and cooperation from foreign governments, many of whom may be unwilling to participate. The 2019 “safe third country” agreement with Guatemala, which allowed the Trump administration to deport individuals to Guatemala from other Central American countries, serves as a precedent, though its success and legality are highly debated.
Trump’s hardline immigration stance extends beyond deportation. Last month, he threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada unless they stemmed the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration into the US Mexico, already engaged in a crackdown on migrants, responded by making its largest fentanyl seizure in history this week. Canadian officials have pledged to strengthen border security.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated Thursday that she hopes to negotiate with the incoming Trump administration to prevent Mexico from becoming a recipient of deported migrants from other countries.
