Belize Welcomes First Asylum Seeker Under U.S. Deal

Belize’s Third Safe Country agreement with the United States is no longer just a policy on paper. The first asylum seeker has arrived under the arrangement, a Haitian national who will now begin the process of settling into Belizean society. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leading the agreement, Immigration Minister Kareem Musa says his ministry has an important role to play in helping these individuals integrate once they are here. Today, Musa shared an update on Belize’s first case under the agreement.

 

Kareem Musa, Minster of Immigration

“As you know, a few months ago the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed off on the Third Safe Country with the United States of the America, and we received our first asylum seeker a few weeks ago. That individual is from Haiti. Our ministry plays a critical role in the entire process. Of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes the lead on it. But our refugee department, along with the UNHCR are responsible for integrating those individuals into society, providing shelter for them, providing food for them, helping them to get on their feet with the different process and integrating into the Belizean society. So, our refugee department plays a critical role in the entire process. The MOU does provide various considerations that we as a Belize government would make in determining whether to accept an individual or not. We are giving seventy-two hours’ notice of the individual coming on a flight and primarily based on national security concerns we would do a background check on an individual. If something comes up, something we are skeptical about as a country, then we have a right to deny that person entry or leave to land in Belize.”

 

The Government of Belize signed the agreement with the U.S. in October 2025.

 

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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