Tonight, we're taking one more look at Belmopan's Immigration Department, but this time we're going inside to find out about the technical issues that have caused the backlog - which has limited supply, thus forcing up demand - which gives rise to all kinds of hustling.
Here's what the officials had to say about a passport system on life support:
For the last two days, we've been showing you the backlog and the resulting activities at the gates of the immigration office.
But what really are the issues inside the department that have caused things to get so out of hand?
Well, it all goes back to failing machinery, particularly the remnants of an obsolete system that has reached the end of their working life.
Mario Arzu, Director, Department of Immigration
"In 2005 when we migrated to this MRPS machine-readable passport system we had data capture systems across the entire length and breadth of this country. We had offices in Corozal, offices in Orange Walk, the Belize City office had three, I believe, San Pedro town office, Dangriga and Punta Gorda Town office - all these different districts had a machine-readable capture where you capture your biometrics. We started having issues with the licensing of the system and the breakdown and the company that provided that particular 3M they went defunct and gradually the system started to close down and that process started as early as in 2018 thereabout and it kept closing down until from the 10 data capture systems that we had, we have have 4. In general terms you're looking at a system that only has 40% capacity to suffice for a population that has grown and there is no way that can function smoothly in any given circumstances."
Gilroy Middleton, CEO
"We have two printers, there was a day in May when both of them went down, both printers went down again, IT scrambling, they use to be able to find the parts on Ebay, now the parts aren't available on Ebay, so the printers, the camera and once a camera goes down, the entire system goes down. Why? because the licenses aren't available as director Arzu notes, the company 3M has ceased to exist and the hardware isn't available either, so software, hardware issues. So we're looking toward the October start of the new system."
And while that's the struggle inside here's the gist of the opinions on the outside.
Erica Lopez, Frustrated customer
"We're still stuck outside waiting for a number and they are saying that only one person is working. This is absurd you know it's poor customer service. They need to do better than that. I mean we just need to protest, do better just do better it's not like we don't pay taxes. It's not free and you have to pay for it."
Cherisse Halsall:
"The public won't really absorb that, what the public is seeing and what the public believes is that your officers are not efficient. What would you say to that?"
Mario Arzu, Director, Department of Immigration
"Efficiency in a system-based production output is dependent solely on the system itself. My officers work from 7:30 in the morning and the public does not know this, work in weekends to try to print passports, so that come Monday morning they can pick up their passports. My officers work until 6 almost every single day. The Corozal office, the Belize City office, the Belmopan office - they work every single day pass, even when government working hours was 4pm, we work until 6 every single day. Thats just to meet the demands and we come in on Saturdays. Again, my officers they have a life like any other human being, but they leave their families, come to Belmopan some from Belize City office, do the printing, they print all day Saturday, they dispatch these books back to the different districts and they come back in on Monday again to resume the process all over again. So when it comes to the public officers' output, we can't ask them to do more."
Gilroy Middleton, CEO
"For example, I recall that we received a complaint that the data capture which is taking the picture uploading it into the system and taking fingerprints - that the officer there was not efficient here in Belmopan, so I actually went down there as Director Arzu noted everything all the systems are obsolete, so I'm here let's say the young lady takes my picture, it literally buffers for 10-15 minutes. There is no way that we could put that on the officer, that is the equipment not functioning. Additionally, two weeks ago we had the worst scare we had in a long time: the last system to shut down was Punta Gorda about 2020 4th quarter. Belize City, the system was unable to take pictures, the data capture official took the picture of the individual 5 times and 5 times it was a black screen. IT scrambled, rushed down there and they figured out they had to disable the flash, in terms of just trying to figure out. So after the flash was disable, the system in Belize City was down for about half day, so individuals were there upset. Like you said they don't see the backend, they don't see director Arzu's the people in his department working until 6, because no one is up here in data capture. So the system is failing and in some areas they would like to put that on the officials working, but the system is literally old. As we stated a year and a half ago, the system should have been changed a long time ago, however decision was made to use the budget in other areas. The opportunity cost was the passport system, so now we are actually trying to play catchup and as directed noted we are looking at October and than that will ease the congestion here in Belmopan."
And in truth, the problems on the inside of the immigration department are twofold. There's the outdated machinery that's then overwhelmed by a post-pandemic demand for new passports.
Mario Arzu, Director, Department of Immigration
"At on average we produce about 20,000 passports per annum and that's pre-covid. So Belizeans travel a lot. Since January to June when we last check, we have produced 22,000 passports. That is what we produce in a year plus more and we are middle of the year. So you see the challenges that we have and we still need to meet the demands, not only of domestic applications, but as well of the applications that we have from our missions abroad, which means then to do the work with 40% capacity is definitely will continue to be a challenge until the new passport system comes onboard which we are hoping and praying that comes onboard at least before the end of October."
"We knew that this would be a impending issue, so when the minister signed the contract with the Canadian bank note to procure a new electronic passport system we knew that could have been the only resolve for this issue."
As we noted, the new system should come online in October.
And, we should note that those lines aren't just made up of persons seeking new passports. They also include those seeking at least three other services including visa extensions services, border passes, Permanent Residence and nationality applications.
