hipolito - Greater Belize Media

Deported Mother Reunites with Family in Belize

Margarita Ávila, a Belizean mother of nine, was deported from the United States this week after being detained by immigration authorities. According to her daughter, Ávila was taken into custody in May.

She was transported by van for over 10 hours to Florida, from where she was deported to Belize on Monday morning. She arrived in Belize City around 10 a.m. and was processed by immigration officials before being released around 12:45 p.m. to reunite with her parents and sister. Relatives in Belize hadn’t seen her in over a decade.

While her family is relieved she is no longer in detention, her daughter says Ávila remains heartbroken about being separated from her younger children, ages 11 and 13, who were born and raised in the U.S.

The children are expected to relocate to Belize soon to join their mother, while their father remains in the U.S. to manage the family’s affairs.

“She’s sad, but also relieved she’s not in detention anymore,” her daughter shared. “We’re hopeful she can return legally.”

The family is pursuing two legal avenues for Ávila’s return: an I-130 petition filed by her U.S. citizen child and a possible U visa for victims of crimes. They allege Ávila was wrongfully targeted due to a false police report, prompting the initial detention.

“I’m going to keep fighting to bring my mom back,” her daughter said. “And I’ll keep fighting for all the injustices our community faces. We need to stop being afraid and speak up together, we’re stronger than we think.”

Environmental Task Force Formed After Years of Weak Enforcement

A National Environmental Enforcement Task Force has been formed. The task force is expected to adequately respond to what environmentalists say are persistent failures in environmental regulation and oversight.

A statement from the Department of Environment (DOE) says the task force is composed of “key regulatory agencies, was established during a meeting held to address longstanding challenges in compliance monitoring, enforcement capacity, and inter-agency coordination.”

Monthly meetings are expected to target violations linked to large-scale developments and chronic non-compliance with environmental clearance conditions. However, critics note that the DOE’s renewed urgency shows years of inaction, particularly as public pressure mounts over unchecked development and the lack of accountability in high-risk environmental zones.

Discussion points at the task force’s launch included the classification of environmental offences, the need for updated legislation, and plans for shared public awareness campaigns.

“This national task force represents a unified response to Belize’s urgent environmental challenges and underscores the government’s commitment to sustainable development, community well-being, and environmental justice,” DOE said.

Trump Says Iran Nukes ‘Obliterated,’ Intel Disagrees

In the tense days leading up to the U.S. military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites, the White House and Republican congressional leaders coordinated a strategic messaging campaign to rally support and maintain a unified stance on Capitol Hill, according to CNN.

Emails circulated between June 14 and 17 reveal a deliberate push to reinforce President Donald Trump’s hardline position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. One such email, sent to congressional offices on June 17 with the subject line, “POTUS has made it abundantly clear; Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,” included statements from Trump and testimony from General Michael Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, asserting that Iran was dangerously close to nuclear capability.

The military action has come at a steep human cost. According to Iranian state media IRIB, at least 627 people were killed and nearly 4,900 injured between June 13 and June 25 during the conflict between Israel and Iran. The Iranian Health Ministry said that 86% of the deaths occurred immediately at the scenes of Israeli attacks.

Despite early U.S. intelligence assessments suggesting that the strikes may have only temporarily disrupted Iran’s nuclear program, President Trump dismissed those conclusions during a NATO summit press conference on Wednesday. “They didn’t see it. All they can do is take a guess,” Trump said, insisting the facilities were “obliterated.”

He also criticised media coverage of the strikes, accusing outlets like CNN of “demeaning” the U.S. military operation and demoralizing pilots involved in the mission. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s defense, calling skepticism over the impact of the strikes “an insult” to military personnel.

Caribbean, Europe and France Join Forces to Stop Gun Smuggling

According to the Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network, between 2010 and 2021, firearms and ammunition trafficked from the United States to the Caribbean were transported through a variety of methods. The most commonly used were ocean shipping companies, which accounted for 24% of cases, followed closely by shipping companies with unspecified modes, also at 24%. Commercial passenger planes and unspecified methods each made up 17% of trafficking routes. Shipping companies by air were used in 7% of the cases, while postal and fast parcel services were responsible for 10%.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the European Union’s EL PACCTO 2.0 programme, and France’s ALCORCA initiative have launched a five-day regional firearms training workshop in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The event marks the first tripartite collaboration among the three entities, aiming to bolster the region’s collective ability to combat transnational organised crime and illegal arms trafficking. This is an issue speakers described as one of the most critical public security challenges facing the Caribbean.

Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, warned that the proliferation of illicit firearms is driving gang violence and homicide rates across the region. “These instruments of violence fuel gang warfare, drive up homicide rates, and undermine the peace and stability essential for our sustainable development,” Jones said.

Michel Segura, Deputy Director of EL PACCTO 2.0, described the training as a landmark in international cooperation. “This training represents more than a technical event. It is a common vision for a safer, more prepared, more connected regional space to fight against firearms trafficking,” Segura said.

Videsh Maharaj, Permanent Secretary in Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Homeland Security, revealed sobering statistics: the Caribbean experiences violent death rates nearly three times the global average, with over half of all homicides involving firearms. He noted that between 2009 and 2018, more than 22,000 illegal firearms and over 300,000 rounds of ammunition were seized in CARICOM countries. From 2018 to 2022, U.S. authorities traced 7,399 firearms recovered in the Caribbean, 73% of which originated in the United States.

Gwen’s Kitchen Hits Back at BTS After Being Named for Owing $82K

More than sixteen million dollars in unpaid taxes remain outstanding, according to the Belize Tax Service (BTS).

Among the top defaulters is the Northern Fishermen Cooperative Society, which reportedly owes over eight million dollars.

Also named on the tax delinquency list is Gwen’s Kitchen, a well-known eatery on Coney Drive in Belize City, which owes $82,257.53. In response to public scrutiny, the business issued a statement rejecting the portrayal by tax authorities.

“Please note that the image painted by the Belize Tax Services is far from the truth and the reality of what we endure under this oppressive tax system,” the statement read. “We are not a business evading taxes, we are a victim of an oppressive tax system designed to destroy small businesses like Gwen’s.”

Gwen’s Kitchen added that they are in contact with their legal team and intend to address the matter through the courts.

The Return of Michael “Uncle P” Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte, the former Chairman of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has officially withdrawn his March 18 resignation and returned to his leadership role.

This is seen as the latest move in another attempt to unify the UDP.

In a letter addressed to the current UDP Chairman, Peyrefitte stated that he is rescinding his resignation “for me to be Chairman again in order for me to help with the process of our Party becoming what we know it can be.”

The letter was also copied to Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Hugo Patt, and Tracy Panton.

Peyrefitte had initially stepped down in March amid internal calls for Shyne Barrow’s departure following the UDP’s poor showing in the March 12 general election, where the opposition was fragmented and suffered major losses.

Peyrefitte told reporters today that he resigned as chairman because he thought that his absence was in the best interest of the party at that point.

Peyrefitte said, “Since events that took place recently and before, both factions, if you could call it that within the party, reached out to me and indicated to me that they would like for me to rescind my resignation because they believe that at this point I could be of some assistance to have the party proceed in a way to have us healed and to have us have definitive leadership and for us to move forward.”

According to Peyrefitte, he initially resisted. He has even shared, “According to uno I was the BIGGEST problem, now am the ONLY solution? Get the f**k outta here” on his WhatsApp status last week.

Peyrefitte said, “Naturally, I initially resisted, but in the best interest of the party that I love and want to see move forward, I think it was important that if my colleagues were asking me to return, then I was obligated out of service to the party to come back and see if I could help with that process. So I agreed.”

He added, “I presented to the parties involved that I have a certain vision and a way I think we can solve the issues facing the party going forward. We are in discussion with those and we’ll see where it goes. I am fully prepared to take charge of the party so to speak up to the point where we have a national convention and the people of the party can vote…”

Guatemalan Woman Charged for Allegedly Abducting Lissy Suntecun

Police have formally arrested and charged 56-year-old Sandra Tzul, a Guatemalan woman from August Pine Ridge Village, for the abduction of 13-year-old Lissy Suntecun.

Lissy, who went missing after leaving school last week, was found safe in August Pine Ridge. Her father tracked a suspicious white pickup truck to the village and alerted police, who located Lissy at a relative’s home. The discovery brought relief to her family and community.

She vanished from her school compound in San Jose Succotz. Lissy, who lives in Melchor, Guatemala, with her mother, crosses the border daily with her younger siblings to attend school in her father’s village.

UDP Senator Patrick Faber to Stand Trial

Lead Opposition Senator Patrick Faber is scheduled to stand trial on September 16, 2025, for charges of obstructing a police officer and aggravated assault upon a police officer while in the execution of his duties.

Faber is also a former United Democratic Party (UDP) minister and former Collet area representative.

The 47-year-old appeared in court this morning in the company of his attorney, Orson “OJ” Elrington.

During the session, Faber was served with full disclosure in the case, consisting of 23 pages and a CD containing evidence related to the incident.

The charges stem from an altercation that allegedly occurred in the early hours of April 29, 2025, on Bay Street in Belize City. According to police reports, PCs Dante Smith and Giovanni Moody were conducting a checkpoint when a white pickup truck sped past the stop. Officers pursued the vehicle and eventually intercepted it on Buttonwood Bay Boulevard.

Upon stopping the vehicle, the officers say they identified the driver as Faber. After determining the vehicle was unlicensed, police requested to see Faber’s driver’s license. He reportedly asked the officers to accompany him to his residence to retrieve it. Once there, he provided the license, and officers informed him he would be ticketed for driving an unlicensed vehicle and for a defective light.

At that point, PC Smith alleges that Faber began recording the interaction with his phone, placing it just inches from the officer’s face. Despite repeated requests to maintain personal space, Faber allegedly continued the behavior, leading PC Smith to feel threatened. Smith stated that Faber’s actions obstructed him from carrying out his duties.

Smith later filed an official report at the Queen Street Police Station, requesting court action. Faber was arraigned in late April and pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was granted bail of $1,000.

Sickout at the KHMH?

Reports of a sickout at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, the national referral hospital, have flooded our newsroom.

As we reported, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (KHMHAWU) remains in dispute with the KHMH Authority over pension and ex gratia payments.

The Authority has proposed one-time payments for staff employed between 2001 and 2017 to be issued upon retirement or departure as a gesture of recognition for years of service.

However, the union has rejected the revised offer, calling it a step back from earlier promises and criticising the hospital’s portrayal of basic benefits as generous incentives. KHMHAWU also accused the Authority of using divisive tactics to deflect from demands for fair compensation.

News 5 has reached out to the KHMH for comment.

Tensions between the Authority and the Union appear to be escalating, as multiple staff members called in sick today in what appears to be a coordinated “sickout

President of the Union, Andrew Baird confirmed that he and several other employees reported sick and stressed their legal right to do so. “We are entitled to be sick,” Baird stated. “I visited my physician, who advised bed rest. I understand others are also out sick, but I don’t know their specific conditions.”

We’ve also seen a text message sent to KHMHA staff informing them that “radiologists have call-in sick. Due to this, we will not be able to facilitate ultrasounds and contrasted CT scans.”

Baird added that working conditions and recent developments could be taking a toll. “When people are under discomfort or pressure at work, it can affect them mentally and physically,” he said.

While Baird did not confirm the exact number of workers out sick today, he noted that, institutionally, employees have the right to use their certified and uncertified sick days without needing union approval. “Sick leave is not a favor. It’s an entitlement,” he said.

In terms of hospital operations, Baird said that was a matter for hospital management. “Maybe some bacteria or something is going around the hospital,” he added with irony, suggesting management should investigate.

KHMHA Workers Union Rejects Ex-Gratia Proposal

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (KHMHAWU) has firmly rejected a revised ex-gratia payment proposal put forward by the hospital authority and the Government of Belize.

The union says the proposal is a significant step back from earlier commitments.

The union said, “The membership of the KHMHAWU has overwhelmingly and decisively rejected this latest proposal, as it fails to adequately recognize the dedication, loyalty, and service of staff over the years in question.”

KHMHAWU also criticized what it described as a “misleading” public statement issued by the hospital authority and government.

It said, “The claim that staff “enjoy a great deal” at the institution is misleading. The so-called “incentives” and “benefits” cited in their release — including medical care, staff clinic access, and allowances — are basic rights that have been earned by staff through their hard work and commitment, not favors graciously bestowed by the employer.”

The union accused the hospital of divide and conquer tactics. “We view this attempt to characterize fundamental employment entitlements as extraordinary privileges as a divide and conquer tactic designed to shift focus from the real issue: the long-overdue and just recognition of staff’s service through fair and meaningful compensation. We condemn this approach and cry Shame! Shame! Shame!”

The union called on the government to return to the table in good faith.