Acting Customs Chief: Bahamians Trying To Enter US Will Be Reviewed On "Case By Case" Basis
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Thousands of Bahamians are looking to come to the US to escape the devastation brought by Hurricane Dorian.
On Tuesday, Mark Morgan, the acting director of US Customs and Border Protection, said they will be reviewed on a "case-by-case basis." This comes a day after President Donald Trump said those seeking refuge need "totally proper documentation."
"Those individuals who do make it to the United States that don't have travel documents ... we're going to apply discretion on a case-by-case basis. We're not going to deny somebody solely because they don't have travel documents," Morgan told CNN's John Berman on "New Day."
Federal authorities have issued conflicting comments about what would happen to Bahamian refugees landing in the US without proper documentation.
On Monday, Morgan told reporters, "if your life is in jeopardy and you're in the Bahamas and you want to get to the United States, you're going to be allowed to come to the United States, whether you have travel documents or not."
Later in the day, however, President Trump had said "proper documentation" was needed, citing the need to prevent "very bad people" from coming to the US.
Monday night, the Department of Homeland Security issued new guidance on the matter.
Morgan backed the President's comments on Tuesday, telling Berman, "unfortunately, bad people use a crisis like this to try to gain entry into the United States illegally" and that "extreme vetting" by the agency will help prevent that from happening in the wake of the hurricane.
Over the weekend, more than 100 individuals seeking to evacuate the Bahamas were kicked off a ferry heading to the Florida. The ferry operator, who had promised to take them to the US, blamed red tape from US immigration authorities, and announced only those with valid US visas would be able to continue on.
Asked about the incident on Tuesday, Morgan said the ferry operator did so out of a concern that it would have taken a long time to process people without travel documents.
"We're going to do what we always do and that's properly vet everybody. And if they don't have those travel documents, it's going to slow the process down," Morgan said.
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