Illegal Haitian immigrants stay put in the Bahamas

The deadline neared for the departure of an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Haitians living illegally in the Bahamas -- but not many were preparing to get out. US immigration officials had been bracing for a wave of Haitian refugees hitting south Florida shores when the Bahamas' edict became effective Sunday. But now US officials say the invasion will probably not come. A reported easing in the Bahamas' warning to the illegal Haitians, coupled with "perilous" conditions in the Gulf Stream -- which the Haitians would have to navigate if they tried to flee in boats -- has kept the Haitians in th e Bahamas.