Ten Immigration Officers Call in Sick at Busy Western Border

A sudden wave of sick calls at the country’s busiest western border continues to raise eyebrows and questions. Ten immigration officers called in sick over just two days, right at the start of the Easter rush, when traffic at the border typically peaks. Immigration CEO Tanya Santos says the timing is more than just unlucky, it’s concerning. While she says the ministry must accept properly certified sick leave, officials are now closely examining whether this was coincidence… or coordinated.

 

Tanya Santos, CEO, Ministry of Immigration

“On Monday, if you recall, we had a total of eight officers who were out sick. Two of those had certified sick leave, and later that day and into Tuesday, a few others in that bunch provided sick leave certificates. And then, on Tuesday, which is yesterday, we had two more officers calling in sick. I don’t know the status of their sick leave, if it’s certified or uncertified. That remains to be determined as yet. So we have a total then, of ten officers out on sick leave. I am not in a position to tell any individual or any officer that you are not sick. If you provide a certain medical certificate signed by a practicing medical practitioner, then I have to accept that. But, if along the way, when we get further and deeper into our investigation we may be find ways or find proof or evidence that it was a staged sickout then we take it from there. We see where it goes from there. It’s extremely concerning and that is why the timing of all these illnesses is very curious, very interesting. And, to make sure, I also checked with the other agencies that are housed there at the western border, the Border Management Agency from the Ministry of Tourism and the Customs Department, to see if there was any other mass sickout. Maybe there is something happening in the building that’s getting people sick and no, that’s not the case. So, it’s rather curious that we have this mass sick out at the Immigration department at the peak season. One of the peak seasons which is the Easter, when we know in particular that the western border is one of the busiest ports at this time of year.”

 

All Hands on Deck at Western Border Amid Sick Calls

 

As concerns grow over staffing at the western border, immigration officials say it’s been all hands on deck behind the scenes. With several officers calling in sick, the Ministry of Immigration moved quickly, pulling staff from ports across the country, from Punta Gorda to the Philip Goldson International Airport, to keep operations running during the Easter surge. Immigration CEO Tanya Santos says every booth is staffed and open, even as travel volume spikes, and she’s praising the officers who stepped up, putting vacations and personal time on hold to keep the border moving.

 

Tanya Santos, CEO, Ministry of Immigration

“We have reached out to several different ports and ports commanders and other immigration officers across the country. We have had to bring them in from as far as Punta Gorda. We have officers from the Philip Goldson International Airport, officers from Belmopan which isn’t itself a port, but they have their own separate duties. So, for now and going into the holiday, I am confident and comfortable that we still do have a full complement of staff. All the booths are filled, you may see lines at arrival but that is because that is the capacity of the office. There are only four immigration booths, well five, if you consider one that’s outside the building, five immigration booths, and they’re all filled. So it’s just the volume of persons that would be passing through which would have been an issue whether or not these officers were there. I want to express appreciation for the officers who have stepped up. It’s foregoing, for some of them, their own vacation or their own vacation, or their own time. It’s also shorting the other ports.”

 

Immigration officials say border operations remain steady for now, even as they monitor the unusual timing of those sick calls and work to keep traffic moving through the busy Easter period.

 

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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