Dozens of evacuees kicked off ferry to U.S. over visa issues

Dozens of weary Bahamas residents hoping to seek refuge in the United States from the storm-ravaged islands were kicked off a ferry headed for Florida on Sunday night, after an announcement on board that anyone without a valid visa would “have problems” at the American port of entry.

Videos of the incident, which occurred after an apparent failure of communication between the company operating the ferry and U.S. authorities, spread rapidly on social media. Frustrated passengers were lamenting that their hopes of getting away from Hurricane Dorian’s devastation had been suddenly dashed.

“At the last minute like this,” said one passenger, Renard Oliver, who held onto a toddler as he spoke to a reporter with the Miami television station WSVN. “It’s hurtful because I’m watching my daughters cry, but it is what it is.”

U.S. authorities issued conflicting statements about the matter in a space of a few hours on Monday, adding to the confusion and frustration among hurricane survivors.

Initially, Customs and Border Protection officials said that they would have allowed the passengers without visas into the United States as long as they had valid passports, documentation of a clean criminal record and prior approval for entry by the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas. Later, though, a spokeswoman for the agency said that only travelers arriving by air, not by sea, were eligible to enter without visas.