2025-07-11 - Greater Belize Media

Free to Move: Belize Joins CARICOM Integration Push

Earlier this week, Belize joined three other CARICOM nations in committing to full free movement of people under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. What does that mean? Well, starting October first, 2025, citizens from participating countries will be able to live and work freely across borders, no special permits needed. The announcement came at the close of the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica. So, what does this historic step mean for Belizeans? We asked Prime Minister John Briceño for his take.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“As to the free movement of skilled people in CARICOM, we signed on to it but what he said let us have a three year period as we work out the kinks to make people move in and out more freely. If you were to talk to the private sector they would tell you we need more people, we need more workers, not only at the lower level, but middle management and upper management. So, we are hoping that by doing that, maybe instead of bringing people from England or anywhere in the world, our CARICOM brothers and sisters can come to Belize to help with the development of this country. We asked for a three-year period to work that out. We signed on to it.”

Reporter

“We have people here already.”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“This is where now it is being signed through treaty, through CARICOM and so we are saying that we will work it through over the course of the next three years. Look at the attorneys, the local attorneys were saying oh the attorneys from the Caribbean will flood Belize. That did not happen. In every aspect there has never been flood in Belize, but the truth we need more workers, we need skilled laborers in Belize, more skilled laborers. That is no offense to Belizean laborers, cause we have very good laborers. So I don’t want you to go twist my words, because we have very good skilled laborers in Belize. But, we need more. The economy has been growing fast and we cant keep up. The only way we can continue the growth and meet these needs is by having the proper laborers, the one that works form the bottom to the top to maintain a minimum of five percent GDP growth.”

Will CARICOM Free Movement Strain Belize/U.S. Relations?

Even as Belize takes a significant move toward regional unity with the new CARICOM free movement agreement, there’s a growing concern that’s hard to ignore. Could this open-door policy make Belize a hotspot for illegal migration into the U.S.? Immigration officials have already turned away several Jamaican nationals over suspicions about their real intentions. So, with borders set to open wider, is Belize at risk of becoming a regional transit point? Prime Minister John Briceño says the country must stay vigilant and protect its national interest.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Unfortunately the United States Government holds us responsible when anybody comes here and they try to get across the U.S., which is unfair and unfortunate. We have seen a number of Jamaicans, who have every right to come and visit Belize, every single right and they can stay in Belize if they wish, as a CARICOM national. Unfortunately, many of them come to Belize and disappear and there are many instances you find out that they are across the U.S. or arrested. So we have to protect our interest and do everything possible to discourage that type of illegal migration into the United States. So that is the only reason we do that.”

FOIA Requests Filed, PM Briceño Responds Briefly

It’s been three days since News Five knocked on Belmopan’s door with two Freedom of Information requests. One was sent to Public Service Minister Henry Charles Usher, asking for full transparency on government rental deals with private landlords. The other? Directed to Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa, requesting details on an advisory contract with former Deputy Commissioner of Police Aaron Guzman. Prime Minister John Briceño was also looped in on both requests. So, what’s the response from the top? We caught up with the PM on Thursday—and here’s what he had to say.

Britney Gordon

“Have you received News 5 Freedom of Information Act Request. WE sent two regarding rent and contracts being issued?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It is with the Attorney General.”

UBFSU Still Waiting for Subvention and Salary Increases

Frustration is bubbling over at UB, where faculty and staff say they’ve waited long enough, ten years, to be exact, for a long-promised salary adjustment. Now, they’re calling for a nine percent raise, and they’re pointing fingers at the government for not following through on its pledge to boost the university’s subvention. Prime Minister John Briceño says he’s watching the situation closely, but will that translate into action? We put that question directly to him.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I have to wait. On Tuesday the minister of education will give us a report and then we will see what is their recommendation.”

GOB Weighs Pros and Cons of Logging in Mountain Pine Ridge

A local furniture company, Belize Woodmark Designs Limited, has applied for a logging license in the area but concerns are already surfacing. Chief Forest Officer Wilbur Sabido has raised red flags, warning of serious ecological, hydrological, and even archaeological risks. So, will the Briceño administration greenlight the concession despite those concerns? Prime Minister Briceño says if logging is to happen, it must be done sustainably. But is that enough to protect one of Belize’s most treasured natural landscapes? Here’s what we found out.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I was a minister responsible for natural resources and the forest department. The Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve was set up by the British almost a hundred years ago. It is for logging. Now, during my time we start to talk about sustainable logging and that is what we have been doing. I spoke to some of the technicians in the forestry department and they are saying, what this company did is that they are applying for a sustainable management contract with them. We have that already. We have it in the Chiquibul where Bullridge is working already in the Chiquibul with a sustainable logging. I don’t hear anybody the cry over it. With enforcement of course and it is running very well. You can ask Amin Bedran. They are trying to do it sustainably. We are doing it the right way. We want to protect the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. We want to protect it. It is in our interest to protect it and that is exactly what we are doing.”

PM Briceño Backs Pott Amid Party Rift in Caye Caulker

There’s political buzz coming out of Caye Caulker tonight. Prime Minister John Briceño is standing firmly behind Chairlady Seleny Villanueva-Pott, who reclaimed her seat in the recent village council elections. But the win didn’t come without controversy, especially after P.U.P. Mayor Wally Nuñez threw his support behind Pott, instead of his own party’s slate. The prime minister, though, says Nuñez had every right to back whoever he believed in.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I think that the chairlady point out very quickly that she is a PUP and Wally felt that she is a friend and a colleague of him and he wanted to support her and he did. That is his right. And, the important thing is that Caye Caulker had two very good young ladies running and they decided to stay with Seleny and I support that.”

Piracy Declines Amid Lobster Season Crackdown

It’s lobster season in Belize and while that means fresh seafood for many, it also means the Coast Guard is on high alert. With lobster in high demand, tensions on the water can boil over fast. In fact, several fishermen have recently been targeted in violent attacks linked to disputes over lobster territory. But there’s some good news, according to Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, the number of pirate-related kidnappings and murders is actually going down. He credits increased patrols and smarter strategies for the decline. So, how is the Coast Guard keeping our waters safer this season? Here’s more on that.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We are at, we are at a point now where we’ve been able to manage that to a very good degree. We are able to reduce the violence. And yes, there is still that threat that exists in between different fractions of the fishing industry. You have the sailing fleet and then you have those who deals with with traps and camps. So, there will always be that friction. Our responsibility here is try to get involved and try to mitigate those friction from becoming violent. So that’s what we’ve been doing and we’ve been working very closely with the Fisheries department to identify those high-risk locations off the coast of Dangriga, out at Turneffe and off the course of Belize City in particular, where these Fisher folks will be vulnerable because of the value of their fishing products. So we recognize that and we try to intervene as much as possible. I met this week with the Commissioner of police as well. We shared that information, share that concern. And we’ve come up with a plan where we’ll be able to support each other, both in Belize City because a lot of these incidents stem from Belize City. So we’re able to establish somewhat of a framework for us to share intelligence and then share a response to those incidents out at sea. So we, we have a very good comprehensive knowledge of what’s going on. We know who the players are and we are able to target them in order to minimize these potential acts of violence.”

Britney Gordon

“Have these operations increased now that lobster season is open? I know we had two recent incidents that were specifically regarding lobster.”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“Yeah, indeed. Every time this time of the year, once the lobster scene is open we know this well in advance, so we try to get out and provide that necessary security protection for fishing fleet. One of the incidents last week we were called out, one of the fishing vessels was threatened, went down towards gowski. We received that information, we went out there and we escorted them into Belize City. So that’s what we’re doing in trying to maintain that, that relationship and that communication, direct communication with the fishing fleet so that we can respond to provide that necessary protection that they need.”

Are Belizeans in Cahoots with Guatemalan Drug Dealers?

Back in March, authorities stumbled upon the charred remains of the aircraft near Graham Creek in Toledo, and it didn’t take long to link it to a suspected drug ring operating in southern Belize. The landing strip? Just a stone’s throw from the Guatemalan border, raising serious questions about cross-border involvement. Today, we spoke with the Minister of Defense and Border Security, Oscar Mira, who gave us an update on the investigation and what’s really happening near the Sarstoon.

Oscar Mira, Minister of Defense & Border Security

“Our intelligence suggests that the Guatemalans were being assisted by those on our side. When we destroyed the amount of coca plants on the Belize side it was done in collaboration with Belizeans as well. It’s something that we are working on. It’s something that we are gathering more information and we have not found any more coca plantations since we destroyed the last one.”

Reporter

“That wasn’t Graham Creek right?”

Oscar Mira

“No Graham Creek is not close to our Sarstoon.”

Reporter

“But did you have residents from Graham Creek who involved in that illegal drug plane?”

Oscar Mira

“So what was happening in the south is we do have a lot of illegal airstrips, that were being used. When you go and you notice that in one day you can clear a whole yard strip for a plane to land two or two or three o’clock in the morning, then indeed the local population is involved, and our intelligence suggest that is what was happening. We have been working, we have been working with the police department. We have been working with the ANU. We have been working with our regional partners. We do have very good network with the Hondurans, the Colombians, the US, Guatemala, Mexicans where we exchange information. And we are also working with our own local intelligence people to ensure that if they are involved, that. And I think you heard about an incident that happened there when the patrol went to Graham Creek. We are looking at it very seriously.”

Reporter

“We have not a recent one.”

Oscar Mira

“No that not too recent. Since then we have not had another landing, but we are also doing a lot of patrols in the area. And soon we’re going to have a forward observation base in the Otoxha Dolores area, That will be a new one so that we can, mitigate and possibly stop all of those landing that are happening.”

Police Back on Duty as Airport Security Contracts Axed

There’s a shake-up in airport security across the country. Police officers are once again stepping in to secure Belize’s domestic aerodromes after the government pulled the plug on contracts with private firms iSecurity and Four Diamonds. But here’s the catch, this move is putting even more pressure on an already stretched police force. So, what’s the long-term plan to keep our airports safe without burning out our officers? Prime Minister John Briceño weighs in.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“What we have done is to be able to ask the police and the airlines to be able to provide the security for the time being. The board is meeting and sorting out discussions. I need to meet with the management of the BAA. They asked to meet with me but I have not been here these few days, to see what is the way forward. Obviously it has to be advertised. Last time it was but with limited tendering. This time it is going to be open to everyone and see who could give us the best proposal.”

Marine Life, Tourism at Risk as Seaweed Spreads

Residents of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker say they’ve never seen anything like it, the worst sargassum invasion in living memory. And now, Belize is on the verge of declaring a national emergency. Despite nonstop efforts by locals, businesses, and government crews, the seaweed just keeps coming, tons of it, every single day. It’s not just an eyesore; it’s a serious threat to marine life and our tourism industry. We asked Prime Minister John Briceño how the government plans to respond to this growing crisis.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Yeah, I think we pretty soon will have to declare that a national emergency to be able to move financing to help with the cleaning. It is no one’s fault. It is the more developed countries that are causing climate change. Again, as always, we end up paying that price. So we have been in formal discussions with both the area representative and the minister of blue economy and the Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler. Quite likely we are going to discuss that on Tuesday and see what plans we can come up to be able to help to clean the sargassum.”