Tonight, the opposition UDP is calling on the government to pause the implementation of the "Safe Third Country" agreement which the Foreign Minister signed with the United States on Monday.
The agreement permits the U.S. to send asylum seekers from other countries -excluding Guatemala - to Belize for processing. Once in Belize, those migrants would be able to seek protection here, under Belize's own asylum laws.
But, while it has been signed, it has not yet been ratified: only a meeting of the Senate can do that.
At a press conference today, the Leader of the opposition outlined the many reasons why she says government needs to hold off on ratification:
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"This agreement, by its very nature, can reshape Belize's immigration and asylum systems and impose new financial burdens on taxpayers in an already overtaxed reality."
"The full text of the agreement has not been disclosed. The preamble to the agreement and some of the recitals has recently been shared with members of the Senate. However, the full text, the comprehensive text including the annexes, transitional arrangements, technical assistance and cost sharing commitments have not been disclosed. The annual cap on numerical limits also remains unknown. How many asylum seekers will be accommodated? 50? 500? 5000? It's anybody's guess. There is no published cost assessment or fiscal impact study on how much this will hit will cost Malaysian taxpayers."
"We haven't understood the implication for housing, for health care, for education, for legal representation or integration of these transferees into our Belizean society. There has been no consultation with civil society, with members of the House, or even our border communities."
"And I ask what oversight mechanisms are in place? The people of Belize, you and I, are being asked to trust what we cannot see. What we do not know, and that's, my friends, is unacceptable in our democracy."
"Let us be honest. Belize is not readily equipped to take on this new responsibility. Our refugee and immigration systems are already under-resourced. Our social services are stretched thin. Our security apparatus, if we have one, faces constant budgetary strain. How can we in good faith commit to absorbing these asylum seekers transferred from one of the world's richest countries when our own citizens continue to struggle for access to basic social services? To claim that Belize can become a safe third country for others when we are fighting to make Belize safe and prosperous for our own people, when we are fighting to preserve the safety and security of our own citizens, when we are fighting to preserve our national sovereignty is both unrealistic and irresponsible."
"Belize must guard against any policy that compromises our independence or turns us into, lack of a better term, a dumping ground for rejected asylum seekers."
"If we are to process asylum claims it must be under conditions that guarantees due process and basic human dignity. Anything else risks violating both international law and our very own constitution."
"Who will fund, may I ask, the required infrastructure, the screening center, the housing, the medical care facilities? Will the funds from the US be in the form of grants, in loans or tied to some other arrangement? And who will oversee the management of these resources?"
"We, the opposition, therefore calls for an immediate release of the full agreement between Belize and the US."
"We also believe that it is necessary that we have a full parliamentary debate before we seek ratification, so that we hopefully can add some value to the agreement itself and the proposed operating procedures that have not yet seen the light of day."
"Until these conditions can be satisfied, we call for a pause, a suspension, if you will, of all preparatory actions under this agreement.
Belize must never, must, never be a participant in an arrangement that we simply cannot sustain, that we cannot afford, and we cannot or choose not to justify to our people."
"We support international cooperation, but not at the expense of our sovereignty."
