Minister Hulse also commented on the recent case of 24-year-old Salvadoran Rafael Alexander Vasquez Medina. As we reported on Friday, he got his Belize nationality by descent through either the use of a forged birth certificate, or through an immigration agent who worked the system, and gave him a bogus Belizean mother.
He's facing charges of forgery, but Hulse says it the kind of thing that's hard to prevent:
Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Immigration
"As I see it and understand it, his mother's birth certificate that he brought was legit. She was investigated, yes, born in Belize. His birth certificate was legit. It had its necessary certifications. He signed the application form, and everything. It turned out they caught him, and in that case, you may catch many more."
Mike Rudon - Channel 5 News
"Sir, but he is saying nothing of that sort happen, and again, the mother-"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"That's what he's saying. The application form and so on doesn't show that. They show his clear signature, his clear receipt, and his clear application to the department."
Mike Rudon
"Would we as the media be able to see that to clear up all this speculation?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"I just clear it up for you."
Mike Rudon
"But can we see it in black and white?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"I am sure you can."
Mike Rudon
"Who would we have to ask for that, sir?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Give us a break, we can allow you to see it. We could show you the application. The police has it; as soon as we get it back from them, we'll give it to you. You have my word. I'll give it to you. His application form, his receipt and everything else. There is nothing there to hide."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned about the allegation that he got this - it was all done in a week, and in fact, the application was sent in and processed in one day?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"No, that happens all the time."
Marisol Amaya - KREM Radio News
"That it's processed in one day?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"That happens all the time. It's descent, you know, it's not registration. It's descent."
Marisol Amaya
"So then, can you speak to the vetting that goes into play when that happens? How then did it slip that this certificate wasn't real, the birth certificate of this Salvadoran?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Because the one that came was authentic. It is authentic enough with the necessary stamps, the necessary certification. It was just a good forgery; that's all it turned out to be. I am not here to tell you many of that don't exist out there. Many may have existed out there, because it's an easy thing to do with the birth certificates. We don't have any means in that Department - for years again - this one goes back longer than Immigration - in ensuring that that piece of paper you get from the Registry, who that person is."
Mike Rudon
"This guy could be another Rafic Labboun or - so, one year ago, there was this promise to shut all the doors, close off, and put in all these measures so that this - but it happened again. I don't want to believe that - I am not naive to think that this is the first that has happened since this. This is happening; what can be done to. This has to be worrying on some level."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"You're not listening, Mr. Rudon."
Mike Rudon
"I am listening."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"We will put it before a committee which will say, this is okay, and publish it. That's what we'll do. It's registration. It's not the birth certificate; it's by registration. So, everything that is by registration that you obtain nationality by registration will go to the committee, will go to the Gazette, will go."
Mike Rudon
"Will there be any vetting, because the committee will sit around a table say, 'Okay, we have the birth certificate, and we have the -' even if it's a fake birth certificate, they'll look at it and say, 'Okay, this is okay. Let's go.'
Marisol Amaya
"That's what happened here."
Mike Rudon
"Will there be any vetting? Do they have any measures on the ground to ensure - this guy could have been anybody. He could have been setting up a terrorist cell in Belize."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Are you suggesting that the Committee will be silly, and that all these people from the social partners?
Marisol Amaya
"That is what happened with the Director because it passed through her, and she didn't catch it."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Because that is the system, Marisol; that is the system. This why I showed you, and you probably missed it, this. This was the system. The senator got up, objected and said, 'I'm imputing wrong motives."
Marisol Amaya
"Sir, that is the system before you came in."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"This is the system, we're changing this-"
Marisol Amaya
"One year ago, when you came in Raffic Laboun situation."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"So, what's happening, are you putting me on trial because one year ago? We've been working feverishly to bringing us up-to-date, man. I am only Godwin; not God."
