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.