A Supreme Court judge in The Bahamas has ordered the immediate release of a Jamaican national who was unlawfully held in immigration custody after his deportation mandate expired.
Jarvon Green, a wheelchair-bound man who served an eight-year sentence for a 2018 vehicular assault, had remained in custody following the completion of his sentence on February 7, 2025. Although a deportation order was signed three days later by Immigration Minister Alfred Sears, it was valid only for 90 days—expiring on May 11.
Despite this expiration, Green was not repatriated. His legal counsel, Martin Lundy, subsequently filed a habeas corpus application, arguing that his continued detention lacked legal authority.
Justice Dale Fitzpatrick agreed. In his ruling, Fitzpatrick stated that Bahamian law requires that immigration detention be supported by an active deportation order. Once the order expired without execution, Green’s detention became unlawful.
The government admitted logistical delays with Jamaican counterparts impeded Green’s timely deportation, but the judge was unmoved. He affirmed that procedural delays cannot override statutory limits on detention.
While Green has now been released, the court clarified that Bahamian immigration authorities retain the right to re-arrest him due to his undocumented status. For now, Green remains in legal limbo—free, but not yet repatriated.
