As we told you on Friday night, as many as 80 Haitians arrived at the Phillip Goldson International Airport on that day. A number of them carried $100 US dollar bills, or two $50 dollar notes tucked inside their passports. Though it is not clear what the money was for, it's a well known practice in other countries to slip an immigration officer a bribe in exchange for free passage of the passport holder. But it didn't work at the PGIA, where the travelers and their passports were detained. As CARICOM nationals, Haitians do not require visas to enter Belize.
According to Immigration Minister, Eamon Courtenay, last week Friday January 27th, 60% of the persons arriving from Panama on COPA and Salvador on Tropic Air were of Haitian nationality. He says he is convinced that there is an "elaborate international network that is smuggling Haitians" through Belize to get to the US. Courtenay told the press, quote, "we are actively reviewing the question of…what measures we are going to put in place to stem the flow of Haitians into Belize."
Belize is bound by treaty obligations to accept CARICOM nationals without a visa requirement.
