Month: January 2025
What’s the Plan for Accepting Deported Belizeans?
The Trump administration is moving forward with deporting individuals they consider undesirable, sending many who are in the U.S. illegally back to their home countries. Prime Minister John Briceño has stated that Belize is ready to welcome back Belizeans being repatriated, but the big question is, what’s the plan for helping them settle back into society?
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“We do know that that is a policy decision of the new Trump administration and so we do expect some deportees to be coming back, not necessarily violent offenders… One criminal gone, five more grow up the next day. It’s not how this works. Migration has happened since the Seventies and Eighties, it continues to this day, and I know you need a reason to explain away the numbers, but this is a fact of life and yes, we have to prepare ourselves for the deportations.”
Isani Cayetano
“What preparations are we speaking of, in terms of being able to perhaps deal with those who have a criminal past in the United States and are sent back home?”
Kareem Musa
“Well, we are going to deal with whether they have a criminal past here in Belize or if they are pending charges. For instance, I believe Ellis Meighan is one of them. If there are others then we will, if there is enough evidence, then those individuals will be charged. And so, the police department obviously has a roster of these individuals that they will be keeping an eye on and, if necessary, charge upon their return.”
Mayor Wagnor Welcomes Deportees Back to Work in Belize
Despite rumors, the Government of Belize has made it clear that they are not opening borders to non-Belizean deportees. However, Prime Minister John Briceño has warmly welcomed all Belizeans back home. Supporting this sentiment, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner assured that there are jobs waiting for the returning deportees.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“I would say, like what my Prime Minister said, we welcome them back. We have a lot of vacancies here in Belize. Jobs, jobs, jobs – employers need workers, and so I will echo my prime minister. We welcome them back.”
Does ComPol Williams have a Job After the Next General Election?
Does the Commissioner of Police’s job depend on which political party is in charge? And does his term end when a new government takes over after a general election? ComPol Williams, who took office under a U.D.P. administration, is now fifty-two and holds the record as the longest-serving top cop in Belize’s history. But the big question is, will he keep his job if the People’s United Party wins the next general election and takes over?
Reporter
“Were the PUP to win another term, should the Commissioner of Police be reappointed or continue in his appointment or if a new PUP government is elected, should that government seek to have a new Commissioner of Police?”
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Well the post of the Commissioner of Police, and I’m sure that the commissioner will explain this to you.. He has up until the age of fifty-five to retire. He has indicated that he wants to offer himself in other areas of public service perhaps politics, ComPol. I don’t know where his mind is at, in terms of that, but I see it as continuing. So while it is that the commissioner reserves that right to continue, I believe that in the new administration it is just going to be, obviously, a seamless transition.”
How will CARSI Funding Freeze Impact Belize?
The Trump administration has put a hold on funding for several projects under the Central American Regional Security Initiative. CARSI has been a key player in boosting Belize’s national security by donating vehicles, equipment, and providing law enforcement training. With this funding freeze, what impact will it have on the Ministry of Home Affairs?
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Upon assuming office in 2020, we got a huge donation of motor vehicles, the CompStat Building, the CompStat office, equipping with our computers, very state-of-the-art center. And so that, perhaps, was the biggest contribution of CARSI in our four-year term. I know that two weeks ago, we had a donation of nine vehicles, but only six are for the police department. So we’re very grateful to the US government and to CARSI for those donations. Obviously, in our crime fighting strategies, narco-trafficking, interrupting narco-trafficking, we will need more resources and that’s something that our government will have to fit the bill, obviously, or if we can rely on external partners like Taiwan. But in the meantime, to answer your question, to some extent, it will be missed.
Good Samaritan Donates 102 Pints of Blood in 30 Years
Blood is essential for every living person. It plays a crucial role in delivering oxygen and nutrients to our bodies and defending against harmful microorganisms. In medical emergencies, a shortage of blood can be life-threatening. That’s why having a steady supply of blood donors is so important for the health of our community. In tonight’s edition of Belize on Reel, we shine a spotlight on Ronald Stuart, a remarkable Belizean who donated his hundred-and-second pint of blood earlier this month. News Five’s Britney Gordon brings us his inspiring story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with anemia. My doctors told me my hemoglobin count was at a six, less than half the average level for females my age. At just seventeen, I had to undergo a blood transfusion. The hardest part of this ordeal wasn’t the large needle or the long hours at the hospital but finding willing donors. If it weren’t for the generosity of Samaritans like Ronald Stuart, my life might have turned out very differently. While he wasn’t one of my donors, Ronald has donated an incredible one hundred and two pints of blood to the Belize National Transfusion Service over the past thirty years.
Ronald Stuart, Blood Donor
“My first donation was in July of 1995, and my most recent was earlier this month, and I can give only once every three months, and it has been something that I am committed to do as long as I’m able to, because there is a need and we need to have more persons who are willing to assist because from time to time, we’d hear about persons making appeal for blood donations, but blood can only come from other human beings. So we need to be a part of making sure that the adequate supply continues to be available.”
Stuart’s journey as a blood donor began when a few coworkers encouraged him to join them in donating. Hearing heartfelt gratitude from families in need inspired him to dedicate his life to this noble cause. Nowadays, his phone is constantly buzzing with texts and calls from strangers desperate for blood. And whenever he can, Stuart is always ready to step up and help.
“One was a foreigner whose father was in Karl Heusner, and it so happens when I came, the nurse told me that someone with your name, the spelling was different was looking for somebody for blood, but didn’t know anybody who could give. And so I told her, I said, okay I’ll give on behalf of that person. She told me afterwards that person literally cried because we have the same sounding name. And when she was experiencing need and seeking blood for her father, I showed up.”
Stuart suggests keeping a list of at least five people in your contacts who are ready and willing to donate blood on your behalf. This way, you’re prepared for any unexpected health emergencies. Adrian Martinez, the supervisor at the Belize Blood Bank, assures us that becoming a donor is a straightforward process.
Adrian Martinez, Supervisor, Belize Blood Bank
“U sually we request for blood. blood donors to be have a clean health status, right? You need to be healthy, no medications. And we do ask some questions on travel history, and then any immunization. The questionnaire is divided into three different sections. Most of the donors need to be eighteen years old and above, up to sixty-five. You need to have a valid identification card. The questions and answers. Depends on your answer, then you might be temporarily deferred or temporarily or permanently deferred.”
The blood bank uses fourth-generation tests to screen for HIV, all subsidized by the Ministry of Health. Stuart treats every donation as if it’s his first, always making sure he’s in the best possible health to give blood. He even revealed that he hasn’t touched a soda in the last fifteen years.
“First and foremost, being very active not necessarily going to the gym, but being physically active. I do a lot of walking I’ve been I signed up for the million steps challenge that the Belize Diabetes Association has initiated. And between the 2nd of January and the 16th of April the challenge is to complete a million steps or five hundred miles. So I have embarked on that. That’s one way. Eating very healthy minimizing the carbohydrates, drink a lot of water and adequate rest.”
Adrian Martinez
“When we go about, we go recruiting for voluntary blood donors. That means the blood we collect is donated free to the blood bank so that we could help others. You can be a voluntary blood donor. You don’t really have to donate for someone else because the emergency strike at different times and is It is our mandate to have blood in reserve for the general populace. By donating voluntarily, you are helping someone, you are providing a safe blood supply for our country, and then you are doing your part as a Belizean.”
Seven years after my blood transfusion, my hemoglobin count is a healthy thirteen point seven, and I’ve even become a blood donor myself. Stuart, the interim president of the Belize Blood Donors Association, is a true champion of this cause. When he’s not busy donating blood, he’s out there encouraging others to join him in the life-saving mission.
Ronald Stuart
“In most instances, the day that I’m here to give, I’m already thinking about the next three months that I’m scheduled to return and look forward to it because it is so critical for viewers and those who are listening to this newscast and this piece to understand. How much we have a role to play in making sure there’s an adequate supply. Somebody has to do it. And why not that person being you?”
Britney Gordon for News Five.
Police Officer Sent Home for Shooting GG’s Dog
An officer stationed at the Governor General’s residence has been fired from the Belize Police Department after shooting and killing the GG’s small but feisty dog. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams explained that a tribunal reviewed the case and recommended the officer’s dismissal. But this raises a question: why don’t other officers face the same consequences when they shoot and kill pets during operations? Here’s what ComPol Williams had to say about it.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The matter went before a tribunal, the tribunal found him guilty, dismissal was recommended and I upheld the decision of the adjudicator. I believe that, and I am sure that the public on a whole is going to agree that if you have a policeman deliberately follows a dog and shoots and kills a dog, something’s wrong with you.”
Reporter
“Hadn’t there been diary entries about this dog being a fierce little dog and he tended to give the officers who served duty there, tended to give them trouble.
Chester Williams
“Even if that were the case, at the particular moment when the dog was shot, that was not the case.”
Reporter
“Sir, but did you pay special attention to this case because it’s the head of state and we know that when puppies were killed or the dog was shot, Nipsey was shot, not killed, and they shot one on Pickstock Street. Those officers aren’t dismissed, sir.”
Chester Williams
“Again, you have to look at every situation based on the facts. The circumstances under which they occurred, and all the cases that you mentioned just now the circumstances are different.”
City Council to Revamp Maintenance of Streets and Drainage
The frequent downpours in Belize City have left many streets in dire need of repair. Today, a resident from the Pen Road area reached out, asking the Belize City Council to assist those living in Waller Alley. This alley, located off Pen Road across from the basketball court, has turned into a large pool of water due to the constant rains. Jehvon Ramclam, a local resident, mentioned that schoolchildren have had to get creative to navigate the flooded alley until it’s fixed. Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner acknowledged the issue, stating that the rains have taken a toll on the infrastructure. He assured reporters that the council is working hard to address the flooded streets, potholes, and drains as quickly as possible.
Jehvon Ramclam, Resident, Pen Road
“If you notice, the hole is down there somewhere, the hole is through there, all the way there, so too. In the morning, when the, um, we got young pregnant women live through there too. When the pregnant women come home from school, they have to walk barefooted. They mess up, they really mess up. Then, we got people back there, we do here all kind of things. Nobody want to walk through that, if you go do their hair or nothing. So, we really need help.”
Marion Ali
“What do they do to navigate through the mud and the swamp?”
“They walk, they walk through it, they don’t have no next choice, no next option. If you notice over there, there’s one rubber boots over there, so.”
Marion Ali
“So they leave their shoes and their rubber boots there and walk?”
Jehvon Ramclam
“They leave their rubber boots there, and then they put on their tennis when they reach out, go to school and whatnot. When they come back, that is the same thing. They have to take off their shoes and walk through it.”
Marion Ali
“How many families would you say live back there?”
Jehvon Ramclam
“About ten, and ih goh way da back cause da wa alley. Way da back ih goh. Yes ma’am.”
“And you live back here too?”
Jehvon Ramclam
“ Partly. I live cross the street but da like I live back ya because I deh back ya nearly every day.”
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“ We are completely looking at how we change the way we address drains maintenance, chopping of grass, potholes, we know that the current system that we have in place has not worked, does not work, um, for the residents of the city, and, and, and we are very aware of that and so we are working on a new system which will be really powered by GIS where we’ll be really dividing up the entire city north side south side into different grids we call them grids. 24 such grids have been identified and what we’ll be doing we’ll be having dedicated teams for each grid so you’ll have a chopping team, you will have pothole teams, you will have, um, drainage maintenance team within the scope of each grid and they will be dedicated to that area. So, it provides accountability. That, um, if I am in this area, I become familiar with the terrain, um, I come, I become familiar with the residents in the area and it is more responsive. But again, one of our priority areas is drainage. That is key and so within the scope of this year, we’ll be ensuring that we focus on infrastructure, potholes, decent streets, ensuring that the drains are clean and maintained in a timely fashion. That is very important for us.”
Reporter
“What about sidewalks?”
Bernard Wagner
“Sidewalks again, everything is on the table, safety of our residents are always important. We’re not only worry about the motorists, but we always worry about the pedestrians, the kids. And so, if we have to put sidewalks in certain areas, we certainly will look at that.”
Mayor Calls on City Residents to Report Litter Bugs
While discussing Belize’s garbage dumping hotspots, the mayor mentioned that the council is still cracking down on littering. He pointed out that finding evidence of these violations can be tricky, so he urged residents to report any offenders or help by snapping photos of the act in progress.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“ We have enforced on several occasions in Belize City. It carries a hefty fee and if caught in the act, but it’s a joint effort between the DOE and the Belize City Council. But we have done a lot of work, enforce that on several occasion, but you have to have the real evidence. So it really requires participation from the community as well. If they see people dumping, if they could quickly notify the officials or enforcement team or the D.O.E. and then we could have that evidence to really ticket them and really pursue it the way we want to.”
DOE Approves Caye Caulker Fuel Depot Project
Last month, residents in a Caye Caulker neighborhood voiced strong opposition to the proposed construction of a petroleum station and fuel storage facility near their homes, citing safety concerns. At the same time, the Caye Caulker Tour Operators Association came out in support of the project. Elvis Landaverry, the managing director of the Petrol Alliance Group Holding Company Limited, quickly reassured residents in an open letter, stating that the project had been thoroughly researched and strategically planned. The Department of the Environment has given the project the green light. Today, Environmental Technician Marco Escalante told News Five that the company had to meet all the necessary requirements.
Marco Escalante, Environmental Technician, Department of the Environment
“Because of the location, the tanks were also required to be within a vault – are required to be within a bulk. The setbacks for a service station for, for tanks within bulk above ground would be 15 feet from the property line.”
Marion Ali
“They met all the requirements you’re saying?”
Marco Escalante
“Yes, based on the guidelines, yes, but so even after we look at the plans and what’s not go through the guidelines, we still have to wait for the fire department, you know, because they might have some concerns with the location and whatnot. However, they did provide your no objection on September on October 30, like I said, 2023, and thereafter we proceeded to draft an environmental compliance plan. The environmental compliance plan, as you may know, um, has several conditions within the document that they have to abide by, um, during the construction and eventually the operation of the service station. This would be basically the ECP would establish, you know, at how many tank will be there. They, have to be within a vault. They have to have all water separators, et cetera. And meet whatever criteria, whatever they land, whatever recommendations the fire department also required.”