Tonight, the Immigration department stands on the precipice of what could be called a national emergency.
That's because there are only 12,000 remaining passports that can be printed on the current, malfunctioning passport system. And because the system is so old and malfunctioning, as many as one-third of the passports are spoiled during printing.
It's a situation bordering on crisis that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Eamon Courtenay admitted to last night when he appeared on Jules Vasquez UNCUT
Jules Vasquez:
"Is there anxiety at the official and the administrative level about the genuine risk of running out of passports?"
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"At the moment yes. Our estimate is that we will be close at the rate that people are applying right now as I said it will be close in October we will have the new passport."
Jules Vasquez:
"Yes but…"
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"At most, at most, hold on at most we are talking by our estimate a week. We are looking at it and the truth of the matter is. We did not order additional passports of the old passports because obviously, we are getting a new system. What we did not anticipate was the demand post-COVID and it is more than twice the rate compared to …but I want to assure Belizeans and I'm serious about this, I want to assure Belizeans that in our management meeting last week we felt that we would not run out and by that I mean that we would be down to 100 or less come that last week. But even if we do we are talking a number of two-three days maximum, you know a week at the outset."
Jules Vasquez:
"Is it a fact that you all only have 12,000 passports at this moment?"
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"About that."
Jules Vasquez:
"About 12,000 and there is a very high rate of spoilage you just said."
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"Yeah."
Jules Vasquez:
"So if the demand continues, you know, and assuming the system will be properly installed in October but we know these things are computers. There are vagaries and all types of things you don't expect. It is cause for existential national anxiety."
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"I repeat, we expect the passport's new system to come online in October on time. We expect that we will not run out of passports and if we do run out of passports it's going to be a week at the max but we believe it's going to be less than that. I mean we are monitoring the numbers. We are trying our best as best we can to ensure that we continue to process applications and that we won't run out of passports. If we do, we have to apologize to the Belizean people. We did not anticipate the massive increase and it's been a massive increase post covid. But this is where we are."
Jules Vasquez:
"A 100% increase."
Eamon Courtenay, Minister Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration
"Yeah, yeah, nobody could have predicted that."
Notably, passports are in much hire demand after the height of the pandemic. 22,901 passports have been printed up to the end of June, 2022, whereas, half that number, $11,583 were printed in the first half of 2019.
