The renowned crystal-clear waters of the Bahamas act as a “springboard” for illegal immigration to South Florida, an expert said.

Fox News Digital spoke with retired Rear Adm. Peter Brown, former Homeland Security advisor to President Donald Trump, about illegal immigration from the Bahamas to Florida.

“Normally, when we think of maritime migration, we think about Haiti or Cuba, maybe the Dominican Republic, but the unknown in that equation is the Bahamas,” he said. 

“The Bahamas presents a special case, not so much because Bahamians want to get to the U.S., although a few do, but because the Bahamas ends up being a springboard for others who want to reach the U.S.”

From fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2024, total migrant encounters in the Miami Sector rose from 2,766,582 in 2022 to a peak of 3,201,144 in 2023, before slightly decreasing to 2,901,142 in 2024. 

As of March, fiscal 2025, there have been 531,440 encounters recorded.

Notably, the report highlights the dominance of single-adult apprehensions, which fits how many migrants arrive at the Florida shorelines after traversing the 50-mile stretch between the U.S. and the Bahamas.

Lighthouse guarding the port of Nassau, Bahamas (iStock)

‘Thousands try, hundreds die’

Brown, who also served as Trump’s special representative for Puerto Rico’s disaster recovery, said the best strategy is to deter migrants from making the trip.

“The deterrent effect of President Trump, DHS Secretary [Kristi] Noem, border czar Tom Homan and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the clear message that the border is closed,” he said. “Illegal migrants will be caught and repatriated, and the crimes of human smuggling and trafficking that accompany this will be vigorously prosecuted.”

Brown emphasized the human cost of illegal maritime immigration and the rationale behind strict border enforcement as a life-saving strategy.

“Thousands try, hundreds die, because every year we see multiple cases of folks capsizing, running aground and people drowning,” he said. “And it’s very unfortunate. And so the deterrence message actually saves lives.”

“If we can, by deterrence, prevent people from ever setting sail, from hiring a migrant smuggler who has no regard for human life, if we can do that, then we’ll save lives, and we’ll reduce the number of these dangerous ventures.”