ICE Lists 899 Belizeans to be Deported

Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is focusing heavily on illegal immigration. A week after taking office, ICE agents began targeting undocumented people and those with serious criminal backgrounds, such as those wanted for homicide or convicted of armed robbery.

Matt Elliston, director of ICE’s Baltimore field office, stated, “The worst go first.”

One major change under Trump was the return of “collateral arrests.” This policy allowed ICE to detain individuals they came across during enforcement operations, even if those individuals weren’t the original targets. This policy reverses guidelines from the Biden administration—such “collateral arrests” were banned under Joe Biden.

As of November 24, 2024, ICE listed 1,445,549 noncitizens with final orders of removal. These individuals have been ordered to leave the U.S. but are not currently in detention.

The data also shows how many people from each country are on this list. According to that breakdown, there are 899 Belizeans with final orders of removal. However, the data doesn’t say why these individuals were ordered to leave.

So are all 899 Belizeans listed in ICE’s list truly criminals? Well, not exactly. According to ICE, receiving a final order of removal means that those individuals don’t have legal permission to stay in the U.S. This could be due to violating immigration laws, having their legal status expire, or even having a criminal conviction, among other reasons.

Earlier this month, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that Belize would monitor the return of deported individuals, particularly those wanted by local authorities to face charges. “In terms of the people that will be sent back to Belize… we will wait to see who will be coming back. We certainly are looking forward to certain people coming back that are wanted by the police to face charges here in Belize. So, we welcome them,” Williams said.