Belize says it will not allow charter flights from Haiti to land in the country warning also it is prepared to reverse provisions of allowing Haitians to enter the country without a visa.
Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay said the decision follows reports that “corrupt and abusive mafia …using chartered flights out of Haiti to smuggle Haitians.”
In recent times there have been several requests for chartered flights carrying Haitian visitors to arrive in Belize. However, the authorities said those aircraft won’t be allowed to touch down at the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (PGIA) because many of those on board are arriving with one-way tickets.
They said, in addition, the Haitians do not have hotel arrangements and end up being smuggled out of the country en route to the United States.
“We have taken a decision this week, and I informed Cabinet yesterday that we have requested over the next six weeks for a number of flights to come as charter (from) Haiti [to] Belize, “Courtenay said.
“In collaboration with (the Department of) Civil Aviation, we are not going to allow them to land, and if we have to reverse the provision of Haitians coming into Belize without a visa, we are going to do so. Why? Because these people are abused by smugglers, they are trafficked by smugglers and we will not allow it to happen through Belize as long as we can stop it,” the Foreign Affairs Minister added.
The authorities said the Cubans cannot be deported through another country and, since Cuba is an island nation, arrangements have to be made for them to be returned directly.
Earlier this week, the High Court dismissed a case brought on behalf of seven Cubans that their fundamental rights were violated while in detention and ordered that the authorities implement the removal order as soon as it is practicable.
The group of seven adults arrived with two children on February 6, claiming to be seeking asylum. The children had been placed in the care of the Department of Human Services since the adults were detained.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is working on the best possible means of deporting these individuals, notwithstanding the challenges at hand.
He said he has since received advice from the crown on how to cancel approximately 30 nationalities that are illegal.
“I am going to cancel them. We are trying to clean up a very difficult situation, let me put it that way,” he added.
