Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell reiterated yesterday that the government does not condone the abuse or ill-treatment of illegal migrants detained in The Bahamas.
Mitchell was asked to respond to comments made in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday by Florida Senator Marco Rubio during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
During the hearing, nominees for diplomatic posts were interviewed. Among them was Cassandra Q. Butts, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to The Bahamas.
Rubio expressed concern about the "forceful repatriation" of Cuban detainees by the government of The Bahamas.
"The comments and the exchange in the U.S. Senate should be seen in the context of the hearing in which it occurred and be taken no further," Mitchell said.
He said, "I add only once again that The Bahamas does not condone the ill-treatment or abuse of any one in any of its lock-ups and any generic allegation to that effect would be absurd and incorrect.
"We work with all international partners on migration and other issues and this would most certainly apply to representatives of the American government."
Mitchell was traveling and responded via email.
During the hearing, Butts said one of her priorities, if confirmed, would be to ensure that all illegal migrants detained in The Bahamas are treated humanely.
She was responding to a question from Rubio, who said he has seen some of the images of the alleged ill-treatment.
Rubio seemed to be referring to the alleged abuse of a group of Cuban detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre last year.
Images were aired on a Spanish language TV station in Miami last June purporting to show Cubans being abused by Bahamian officers.
Butts said the issue of migration is of great importance to her and was what attracted her to the post.
"I have not seen the images," she said. "I've certainly heard about some of the allegations with regard to how the Cuban refugees have been treated, [and how] migrants have been treated in The Bahamas."
She added, "It will be one of my priorities to ensure that all migrants are treated humanely."
According to witness statements from marines and detainees at the facility, Cuban detainees were severely beaten after they attempted to escape from the center.
The allegations made headlines for weeks and incensed Miami-based protest group Democracy Movement.
The government officially ordered an investigation into the alleged abuse of the Cuban detainees, most of whom have been repatriated or granted asylum in a third country.
A disciplinary hearing into the abuse claims started last November. Five marines were charged in connection with the incident.
The hearings are on hold as the Bahamas government awaits a response from the Cuban government on a request to interview detainees who were repatriated, authorities have said.

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