FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Newly released rules and guidelines for Bahamians evacuating to the United States have left many residents confused and frustrated.
Audrey Thompson Tynes and her daughter Tecori are trying to reach the U.S. but are having a tough time.
They are still in Nassau after being evacuated from Abaco following Hurricane Dorian.
"They were going to stay with me for a month until they got on their feet," Tynes' longtime friend, Tony DiGiulian, said.
Tynes and her daughter arrived at the airport in Nassau with all the documents Homeland Security listed in an attempt to clarify the confusion of a mass evacuation.
Instead of being allowed on the plane, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped Tynes, showing her a list that required more than what she had brought.
New items include proof of employment and proof of foreign residence.
"Everything is gone. There (are) no records," Tynes said. "Even if there was, the whole island of Abaco was evacuated, so there is no way to go back there and get it."
The new, confusing request is in contrast to what the Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said Monday.
"If your life is in jeopardy 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," Morgan said.