Belize has received the fifth greatest number of deportees from the United
States in the last ten months. According to Carib World News, Belize received
129 deportees, 64 of them criminal aliens – meaning they committed offences
in the United States, and the other 65 non criminal, meaning they overstayed
their time or were caught sneaking into the United States.
Figures obtained form the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement show that
3,292 CARICOM nationals were deported between October of 2007 and July of this
year. The greatest number, 1,185 was sent to Haiti, followed closely by Jamaica.
Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana were third and fourth, respectively. And while
Belize is fifth at 129, its population is far less than all those countries.
Moreover, Belize is one of only 5 countries which have received 100 deportees
or more since October of last year. Other countries like Barbados received only
33, while St. Lucia and St. Vincent each received 22.
The issue of deportees continues to be at the forefront of talks between the
U.S. and CARICOM. At the 2007 conference on the Caribbean held in Washington,
regional leaders stressed the need for assistance in absorbing and re-integrating
criminal aliens.
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