Immigration Department Detains 15 Persons

The Immigration Department has detained fifteen individuals, pending repatriation, after they were found inadmissible to enter Belize on various grounds. According to a release from the department, eleven of these individuals are Jamaican—six adults and five children—who arrived in Belize between November fourth and eleventh. The other four are Brazilians who entered Belize on November eleventh on a COPA flight from Panama. The department cited several reasons for their inadmissibility: lack of return tickets to their country of origin, traveling with minors who were not properly documented (without legal guardianship or consent letters from a parent), and providing addresses that turned out to be businesses, not hotels. Additionally, the hotel bookings were made with fraudulent credit cards. Three of the Jamaicans are seeking judicial review of the matter. Today, their attorney, Norman Rodriguez, explained to News Five why they are challenging the decision.

 

Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-at-Law

“I am representing three people, but they’re not of the same arrival date or of the same group. Kara Fisher came in on the 4th of November and he was immediately detained by immigration officers and all his personal belongings were taken away. He would’ve been deported on the 11th. Monday.  Kevin Dean and John came in as a part of, part of a group of seven.  That’s Friday and they were to be deported on Monday. We prepared applications for judicial review at their request, and we have filed that. I act on this along with senior council, Hubbert Ellington. There is an application for a space on the decision of the immigration officials to deny entry to these individuals.  As tourists or visitors to believe with the intention to travel within Belize. 0I don’t see a valid reason For refusing these three individuals I represent and that is why we have suggested to them Go to the court and let the court decide. 0My instructions are that they were given no reason, or they were only told, keep up all your stuff, and they were detained.  Even outside of that, the, the law, the SEC section 27 and 28th specified what must be done for these people to, to be, to be given notice, formal notice  as to what part of the immigration and which section of the immigration lab they would’ve reached. This has not been done. So in answer to your question, there is no formal or oral reasons or original reasons that was given to these people. We don’t see any.”