7 Foreign Prisoners Deported Out Of Bermuda

April 26, 2016

Seven foreign nationals — from five different countries — who were incarcerated in Bermuda were deported back to their respective home countries on Sunday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said, “On Sunday, April 24th, 2016, officers from the Department of Immigration’s Compliance Section, with the assistance of officers from the Department of Corrections, successfully carried out a significant deportation exercise which involved the escort of seven foreign nationals, incarcerated in Bermuda, from five different countries back to their respective home countries: Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and St. Maarten.

“This deportation exercise was the first of its kind led by the Department of Immigration in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, the Royal Bermuda Regiment, and the respective Immigration authorities in each of the aforementioned countries.”

Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy said, “Over the past year, the Department of Immigration has been faced with many challenges regarding the deportation of foreign nationals who have been incarcerated in Bermuda for a range of offences.

“As a result of recent restrictions imposed by Bermuda’s gateway countries, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the deportation process has been extremely difficult thereby making it virtually impossible to secure passage through any of the aforementioned countries.

“As a consequence of the information above, the Department of Immigration feverishly explored several options to deport the foreign nationals including, but not limited to, chartering a corporate aircraft for each deportation which had the potential of being extremely costly for the Bermuda Government.

“Upon learning that the Royal Bermuda Regiment was planning to hold their annual overseas camp in Kingston, Jamaica, the Department of Immigration capitalized on this opportunity by arranging a deportation exercise led by the Department of Immigration’s Compliance Section. ”

The Ministry said, “The first step was to engage the former Commanding Officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, Lt. Col. Foster-Brown and seek his approval for the Department of Immigration to deport persons onboard the Regiment charter to Jamaica.

“Talks were then initiated with the Department of Corrections to identify a number of inmates that were scheduled to be released from Prison between the years 2016-2020 and who were potentially eligible for grants of early release by His Excellency the Governor.

“With the exception of three Jamaican Nationals who had previously been granted early release, five additional requests for early release were made at the middle of April which resulted in His Excellency the Governor granting approval to four last week Wednesday.

“Between Wednesday and Sunday, the Department of Immigration, in collaboration with Government House, the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Department of Corrections, and the Ministry of National Security worked tirelessly to ensure that the necessary processes and protocols were followed, thereby making it possible to deport a total of seven foreign nationals out of Bermuda.

“This is good news for the taxpayer as it means that we will no long be paying the incarceration fees and associated costs for these individuals.

“This exercise would not have been possible had it not been for the countless hours of hard work, dedication and collaboration between for all agencies involved.”

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Comments (65)

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  1. Terry says:

    What a waste of money.
    Stupid OBA.

    They could have bought that doods ‘Bubble’ put em all in with 2 cases of beer.

    De would be der in two days……………………………

    • Well then says:

      Stupid waste of money? You mean by cutting tax payers’ costs? Yeah, such a waste of money! Gosh, how dare the OBA do such a horrible thing!

      • Full Fuulish says:

        Sounded like sarcasm to me…

        • keepin' it Real! ...4Real! says:

          There is a “chartered” plane already going to jamaica…so should we deport the European prisoners..?? Your answer determines your I Q.

    • Terry says:

      Bermuda; especially you lunch time and working people need to get a F*&^ sense of humor.
      No wonder the island is so Fu.U.
      Really.
      Was it OBA fans for all the dislikes?
      Or was it just the Terry trolls.

      You can kiss your a$$es goodbye.

      Bless the children.

      • Ferry says:

        Terry…People need to get a sense of humour you say? Perhaps you need to get a life! There are a handful of people like you that have nothing better to do but make some kind of negative or divisive comment about every f’n story that is posted. Do you have nothing else to do?

        • Terry says:

          You seriously need to get a life.
          Very seldom I post anymore because of the negativity you just posted.
          Bet you don’t even live there.

          Ferry?
          Must be Mersey

    • Luis Suarez says:

      **WARNING** These posts descend into usual black v white nonsense in about 10 posts. From then it is pure garbage. Save yourself 5 minutes of your life and move on, none of us need this.

  2. Notice says:

    No one from predominantly white countries. Surprise Surprise

    • sage says:

      Please elaborate.

    • The Original Truth™ says:

      Or other countries of predominantly non African background. Camille Orteza wasn’t deported either.

      • serengeti says:

        The person sentenced to 9 months in January 2013?

        • The Original Truth™ says:

          Doesn’t matter when they were sentenced or when they got out. Expats who commit crimes in Bermuda should not be allowed to stay after found guilty.

          • Bullnose says:

            They should escape with no sentence then? Idiot.

            • The Original Truth™ says:

              Only if goofballs like you were in charge. How are they going to escape if they are found guilty numbty dumpty? I’m not saying to let them free after the verdict. Who does that FOOL! Once they are found guilty they remain in custody until deportation is arranged. If it’s a serious crime alert their authorities and let them deal with it on their side. This limits the amount of time and money spent on our end on these convicts. They do it every day in North America. Some even get sent back with the clothes and possessions they had on the moment they were arrested and nothing more. You want your things back call someone and get them sent back.

              • serengeti says:

                Why would you have brought up a person who completed her sentence years ago? What relevance is it to what happened last week?

                • The Original Truth™ says:

                  Because I’m tired of expats being able to flout immigration and other laws in Bermuda and still being allowed to stay on island. All should be deported and never allowed to return not just some. America doesn’t allow Bermudian law breakers into their borders and Canada has plans to start the same. What’s fit for the goose…

          • Ferry says:

            We all understand that. However the problem seems to be that our flights all go thru USA, Canada and UK. Those countries do not have to allow a person that is a known felon to enter their country or pass through their country on their way home especially without a visa. If we cant put someone on a plane to the USA so they can get to Jamaica, Greneda, St.Marten… or wherever, how do you propose getting them home unless you do so using a private jet.

            I think this was the best and maybe only alternative.

          • Zevon says:

            She completed her sentence years ago. Do you actually have a point?

            • The Original Truth™ says:

              Myyyy poooooint iiiiis thaaaat sheeee shooooould haaaave beeeeeen deeepoooorted!

    • Unbelievable says:

      You must have a real hate on for the OBA if you say something like this. If the OBA hadn’t done anything bayou tit you’d be saying black Bermudians were still disadvantaged.

    • serengeti says:

      Why not actually read the article. It explains why they all came from this particular geographical region.

      • The Original Truth™ says:

        “ escort of seven foreign nationals, incarcerated in Bermuda, from five different countries back to their respective home countries”

        Even though they came from a particular geographical region there’s nothing in the article that says they were chosen to be deported because they were from that region.

        There are expats who have been convicted of stealing from their employers and still get a work permit after they do they get out of prison. Immigration in Bermuda is a joke. They don’t even know how to detect false documents.

        • Bullnose says:

          Read the article

        • Zevon says:

          You obviously didn’t read it properly. It does help, you know.

          • The Original Truth™ says:

            I did read it properly. They all went to Jamaica but obviously they will be transferred later by other means to their countries. Could do the same with all expat criminals. I’m sure it would be a lot cheaper to pay Jamaica to keep them than having them in BDA.

            • serengeti says:

              It could happen any time we have a private plane going to a region where prisoners are from. Is that the point you’re trying to make?

              The point here is that transport was already bought and paid for.

            • Well then says:

              Lmao, yes, export British and American nationals to jail in Jamaica. That’s a good way to violate their human rights (yes, even prisoners have those too) and piss off two of the most powerful countries in the process. Fack, some people come up with some dopey solutions.

    • Well then says:

      Sorry some countries have better laws and restrictions? Why the hell does everything come down to race with some people? So pathetic.

      • Raymond Ray says:

        It true, but the pressure upon some is self inflicted. I further agree with you,
        “Unbelievable” You must have a real hate on for the OBA if you say something like this. If the O.B.A hadn’t done anything bayou tit you’d be saying black Bermudians were still disadvantaged

        • Raymond Ray says:

          Lets see if I can get 100 Dislike…Same Day Same AssssssHoleeees

        • The Original Truth™ says:

          Under every government we’ve had lower income bracket Bermudians have always been disadvantaged. The only difference with OBA is they promised a change and that promise got them elected. For three years after election the only change they’ve pushed is to support their own agendas just as all other governments before them did. All it is same ish different day. I wouldn’t say I hate OBA I just have a strong dislike for the way they have lied their way into being elected.

          • serengeti says:

            The PLP promised to help the poor and then failed. And while doing it, helped themselves. A lot.

    • Terry says:

      Careful what you wish for.
      The Iranians and Iraqis and others are there.

      Shalom.

    • Jim Bob says:

      Also known as white privilege. For example, the guy who knocked another guys teeth out in Docksiders a few years ago…..White….and allowed to leave the island graciously before he could be taken to trial. If that person was black I would be willing to bet that he would have been remanded or at the very least his travel documents would have been taken.

      • LiarLiar says:

        Lies.

        He went to court and received a conditional discharge and ordered to pay $30k to his victim.

        And before you lie again go through court rulings and see how many people, black and white, receive conditional discharges by our courts for this and other offenses.

        If you are not willing to look it up for yourself then I will be happy to produce you with such examples to debunk your hypothetical nonsense.

      • aceboy says:

        You might be willing to bet, but that doesn’t make the case you sited an example of white priviledge.

      • Toodle-oo says:

        And who was the guy who just got (only) 4 years for running over and killing another road user and fled , drunk and shouldn’t have been in the vehicle at the time of the incident ?
        White privilege also ?

        • Real Talk (original) says:

          Nope. That dubious title goes to Luke Armstrong, the British guest worker who got 15 months for causing the death of one person and serious injury to two others. Only to have his conviction overturned.

          • serengeti says:

            He wasn’t drunk, he had a license, and he didn’t flee the scene of the crime.

      • Well then says:

        Believe it or not, not everything comes down to race my friend. The sooner you learn that, the happier and less hate-filled your life will be.

    • Ferry says:

      @Notice you are an idiot and obviously a racist yourself since you clearly see nothing else but v=black and white. Think for a second!!! An American, Canadian or UK national can be deported easily because we have direct flights there on their own national carriers. If we don’t have a flight going to Jamaica and the US will not allow that Jamaican into or thru their country w=how exactly do you propose we get them home, on the back of a whale!?

      What they did, is one of the few options available PERIOD!

      • Well then says:

        Did you not read the article? Literally the beginning of the article states that Canada, US and the UK have much HARSHER laws and regulations for exporting their criminals back to where they came from. So what is the OBA supposed to do? Just magically get these countries to change their laws? Learn some common sense please people. We CAN export Carribbean nationals much easier than those from the US, Canada and UK.

    • Core Bda says:

      Where does it say that these people are black? Can a person from Greneda, Jamaica, St. Vincent or Bermuda not be white!r statement is somewhat insulting and racist!

    • Core Bda says:

      Where does it say that these people are black? Can a person from Greneda, Jamaica, St. Vincent or Bermuda not be white! Your statement is somewhat insulting, ignorant and racist!

  3. mixitup says:

    Their offences were that they have overstayed their Work Visa’s…take a run through some of these Intl. Companies and see how many you can find…Pressure these Indian/Philipine nationals and their spouses that they bring over, then we call can collectively shout GOOD WORK! Not one Portuguese national, Canadian national nor UK or US national, because they are all here Legally Right?

    • Truthhertz says:

      So they were in west gate for work permit violations? You’re joking right.

      Even if that was true your rant proves that your hatred of foreigners is isolated to Asians and whites. I already knew that however.

    • Bullnose says:

      This government has prosecuted permit violations more than any previous government.

      • The Original Truth™ says:

        That’s a load of crap! UBP has by far the most prosecutions of permit violations. When they were in they had immigration actually going to job sites every week to investigate.

        What you are referring to is Fahy talking out his backside to the media. The fact is the question came up in parliament where Fahy can’t twist the truth about 80 plus non-investigated violations and Fayh use the excuse of lack of manpower to get them done. Fahy won’t plan to increase the manpower to get investigations done but he would have if it was to process PRC applications.

        • serengeti says:

          The PLP never took action to enforce permit violations.

          • The Original Truth™ says:

            I never ever voted for PLP so your comment is irrelevant to me. I did however vote for OBA knowing that PLP didn’t enforce permit violations and expecting OBA to be different since their slogan was for change. To be factual PLP did enforce permit violations when it was towards people of certain backgrounds but didn’t enforce it involved people close to their friends and family. All still irrelevant because under OBA there are 80 plus outstanding because our immigration minister would rather focus on having non-Bermudians working than Bermudians. I know PLP did the same but as mentioned I did not vote for them.

        • Well then says:

          Lol, you think PRC paperwork is moving through immigration quickly? I don’t know if you call a year and a half quick, but I sure as hell don’t.

      • Not accurate says:

        This is not accurate information.

  4. wahoo says:

    We ought to deport all the Bermudian ones too. $80K a year is insane we could build a private prison in china and incarcerate them for about $5K per year.

    • Toleratate says:

      lol, now ya talking… but that would mean mothers little innocent prince will have to do REAL prison time.

    • Hair says:

      Good idea Wahoo…

  5. mmm says:

    Foreign nationals who contravene Bermuda laws, should be incarcerated, depe nding on the seriousness of the offence. Most terms of incarceration are dr ug related. A debate has ensued, should we simply send them back after a brief prison term, thus reducing cost to the tax-payer. A short prison term is not a deterrent. Can we hit the foreign national in the pocket, I would say yes, if we can determine if they have assets which are determined to be the proceeds of crime. It may prove to be a very expensive under-taking tho. i.e. if a Canadian is busted, he is probably a mule, not likely to own anything any-how, or he may jointly own something. Actually, what-ever we do, becomes very, very expensive, and also very expensive since all are entitled to legal representation, at the end of the day, after all has been said and done —it is the cost to enjoy the freedoms we have in this world.

    • sage says:

      Continuing the failed war on drugs to maintain our ultra-high illicit drug prices, guarantees constant one-off rogue smuggling attempts (the ones who get caught) along with the guaranteed shipments, cleared by generous palm greasing, which ensure reliable supplies of heroin, crack, coke, molly and ecstacy etc. Asset forfeiture is robbery in many cases since the burden of proof has been reversed.

  6. The Ridiculist says:

    Now deport the rest of the foreigners that have overstayed there welcome!!! That would be progress..I can think of a few nasty anti Bermudian POS..

  7. What about the 2 Bulgarians who are currently on trial for allegedly stealing lots of money from H.S.B.C.?
    I TRULY WANT for them to be DEPORTED, if proven guilty.
    When you are from elsewhere and DISOBEY Bermuda’s laws…..get out through DEPORTATION.

  8. steve says:

    it seems the PLP have developed some sort of multiple “dislike” software-hats off to the developer! LOL

  9. Takbir Karriem Sharrieff says:

    Terry, the next time you make a wisecrack using Muslims,or Muslim language ,as the butt of your sick jokes.I promise you I will personally seek you out

    • steve says:

      Hey Takbir – your comment feeds the stereotype.Maybe Terry is on to something.

  10. Andrew Paul Scaife says:

    ‘Watching you very Closely…… ;) !!!! ‘

  11. Average Bermudian says:

    FEY ?

    AFTER YOUR recent stunt -

    Both you and dunk cannot remain. (Sly richas too)

    That happened “on your watch” and by your specific actions.
    Ignorance is no excuse

    FEY ?