Belama Land Dispute Leaves Young Mother Displaced

This land dispute in Belama is just one of many involving undocumented immigrants, but Dora Enamorado’s story stands apart. At just twenty four, she’s a mother of three Belizean children who has known no other home. Brought to Belize as a baby when her mother fled violence in El Salvador, Dora grew up here, built a family here, and put down roots here. But despite nearly eight years on the land she developed and lived on, she says it was suddenly taken from her, leaving her feeling invisible and unfairly treated. Dora reached out to us, hoping her story would finally be heard.

 

Dora Enamorado, Belama Resident

“I was one of the forty people that was in that meeting all along, everything, doing everything that he says, letter by letter. Then when they did decide to move everyone to give a land to the other side where Francis Fonseca was giving, they told all of us that there are eighteen houses. They will give the land to the eighteen houses first, so whatsoever lands remain, they will give it to the rest who had land there. They had proof at 2020 that my house was here and the lot number, and they had my name, everything, because I have already applied. They showed me the same book again, so I did sign up again and they told me they will call me back again.  But they told me, I’m not Belizean, but I told them, yes, I’m not Belizean, but I have a Belizean son. Bare in mind, they still take all my applications forms. They still take it, but never call me, never give me receipt about nothing. And then like when you call them back to see like nothing they say it still in a survey, still in a survey, it noh open up as yet. So now my husband mi gone already with me gone apply. They noh call we six months after we gone again gone reapply again. Now the lady wa come and tell me we can’t apply for that land because it private. Why now at 2024 they wa tell me it private? Why never tell me it private from 2020?”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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