And while the PM had the last say in that debate, Shyne Barrow came back on the offensive when he spoke about Haitian Human Smuggling on the adjournment.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"The country needs to be concern, because I raised this issue in the house. I raised this issue about the member from Orange Walk North."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"On a point of order."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"I had intelligence that he was designated by the state department."
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"Leader of the Opposition, when there is a point of order you need to sit."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Madam Speaker, he constantly tries to throw aspersion to an honourable member of this house with no such evidence and I find that offensive for him to come to this house to say such things and he needs to take that back."
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"A point of order is a point of order. You cannot impute those improper aspersions. Please, I ask you to refrain from. I will have to caution you again and ask you to take your seat."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Noted Madam Speaker. But I am allowed to ask, I am not imputing improper motives, why did you move him? Why did you move the member from Orange Walk North?"
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"One second. No. Please have your seat. You should submit those questions on adjournment. You do not ask the question in adjournment."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"I am raising an issue of national importance. The question is human smuggling."
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"So confine your statements to that. When you want to questions ministers, you know this very well, Leader of the Opposition."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"There is a human smuggling crisis in this country, rampant corruption in the ministry of immigration and if you are serious about anti-corruption. Yes member, you are smiling from Cayo South. You were the anti-corruption champion. Where is the investigation?"
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"What's a fact is 42B, that's a fact."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Thank you Madam Speaker. If the government is serious about anti-corruption and the prime minister has conceded that 2,000 Haitians nationals have disappeared, that has to involve complicit facilitation by the ministry of immigration and I suggest that is why he moved the member from Orange Walk North, because he was the minister of immigration."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"For him to come and make these aspersions in this national assembly. The people that are presently working in immigration department, who hired them? It is your government that hired them and he comes and makes this up. So I am asking you name who you believe is creating all of this in the ministry. I need to remind him that I never heard him ever criticize the previous government with the Haitians when they were required to present a visa to come into this country. It is our government that lifted that restriction so that they could come freely, but now that they're coming freely, we have said it over and over - we are seeing signs that there are some signs of human trafficking in Belize. You need to be careful how you speak, because when you spit in the air, it falls on your face and that's exactly what happened to you today."
Notably, while Barrow made direct attacks on the former Minister of State for Immigration Monchie Cervantez, he did not respond though he was present in the House.
