The Belize Government Implemented new travel restriction to Jamaica and Haiti due to people smuggling to the United States.
The Belize government recently announced it has implemented new travel restrictions to Jamaica and Haiti. According to the report, the new restrictions were implemented due to the rise of people smuggling from Jamaica and Haiti to the United States.
The Prime Minister of Belize, John Briceno and his government said, “After a thorough discussion on the increasing number of visitors who are using Belize as a transit country to reach the United States, Cabinet determined that Belize will invoke Article 226 (a) of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which will allow for the Minister of Immigration to immediately impose a visa requirement for Haitians wishing to visit Belize and to require Jamaican nationals to provide evidence of fully paid non-refundable hotel reservations prior to boarding flights to Belize.”
“In addition, a ministerial task force was set up to address the rampant smuggling occurring in this regard. The ministerial subcommittee will be chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration and will include the Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries and the Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations,” the statement said.
According to Belize.com, the location of Belize so near to North America and the ease with which foreigners can come here, has made Belize a mecca for illegal immigration, partly for those seeking to relocate to a developing country, and more so for those wishing to use Belize as a way station on their way to the United States of America and Canada. Illegal migrants from China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Africa and Haiti form the bulk of complaints levied against Belize and the names of countries called often in recurring immigration scandals. In 2016 the Belize Senate Special Select Committee concluded that “Given the nature of what we have seen from the Auditor General’s Report and the testimony before the Committee we are left with no doubt that there were corrupt forces operating within and around the immigration department. It is undeniable that the Department was in serious need of attention.”
The Visa restrictions were put in place on March 2023 against Jamaicans and Haitians. This follows increasing immigration and police busts indicating Belize is being used as a conduit for mass human smuggling to the United States of America and Canada.
Both Haiti and Jamaica are signatories to the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) that facilitates the right to establishment businesses, to provide regional services, the free movement of capital and the coordination of economic policies. It also allows for immigration arrangements for the free movement of people within the grouping~Jamaica Observer
On Friday March 24, 2023, President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced, the United States and Canada have also reached a deal that would give both countries the authority to turn away asylum-seekers at unofficial crossing points on their shared border.