BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Belize immigration officials have defended the decision to impose visa restrictions on Jamaican and Haitian nationals entering the country, insisting that they are not attempting to restrict Jamaicans or Haitians who intend to come to Belize legitimately.
The government last week said it would invoke Article 226 (a) of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which governs the regional integration movement CARICOM.
The John Briceno government said that invoking the article will allow the Minister of Immigration to immediately impose a visa requirement for Haitians visiting Belize.
Jamaican nationals must provide evidence of fully paid, non-refundable hotel reservations before boarding flights to Belize.
The authorities said that over 2,000 Haitian nationals entered Belize between March 2022 and April this year and that over 1900 had vanished without a trace, presumably crossing over into Mexico illegally en route to the United States.
Chief executive officer of the Ministry of Immigration, Dr. Gilroy Middleton, said the situation with Jamaican nationals disappearing after entering Belize is also similar, except that it involves a considerably smaller number.
“Regarding the Jamaicans, the numbers are similar, but we haven’t reached a tipping point concerning the Haitians. Considering the Jamaicans, we’ve had some 1 673 Jamaicans entering via the PGIA (Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport) primarily since January 2022.
“To date, of that 1, 673 we’ve had some 788 depart through one of our legal border crossings, leaving some 895 Jamaicans who have not exited through our northern border point of exit or any other of our formal border points.”
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