Tonight a Santa Elena man is spending another night without his pregnant wife after she was charged and detained. 26 year old Wendy Castro went to the Social Security office in San Ignacio on Friday to apply for a Social Security Card - specifically to try and get some form of benefit during her pregnancy. Her husband, Gustavo Velasquez says she has been working as a house maid for Luke Espat for 8 years and she has been paying Social Security during that time. So they thought there wouldn't be any problem securing a Social Security card. But it wasn't a smooth process at the office that Friday at all. The police were called in because they had issue with the documentation she presented. Here is the police side of the story.
ACP Joseph Myvett, NCIB
"In San Ignacio police received a report from the Social Security board that one Wendy Castro arrived there at the Social Security office in San Ignacio on Friday evening and presented a Belizean birth certificate for which she intend to apply for SS card. As a result the police as called and she was interviewed and detained, she was found in possession of her Guatemala passport and during the course of the investigation the police also found out that in October 2014 she had already made an attempt to apply for a SS card with a Guatemalan birth certificate. She was refused. She has since been arrested and charged for obtaining a birth certificate under false pretense."
Reporter
"It has been said that the Vital Statistics office has said that the certificate was issued in error."
ACP Joseph Myvett, NCIB
"Right?"
Reporter
"And it was issued in her name correct?"
ACP Joseph Myvett, NCIB
"Yes, so it would be that she made false representation in order to obtain the birth certificate."
Reporter
"Are you able to confirm if in fact there was any attempt by politically affiliated people to get her released from those charges?"
ACP Joseph Myvett, NCIB
"No none that I know about."
Well her husband, Gustavo Velasquez begs to differ, when we spoke to the husband over phone, he says it is all about politics. He says his wife is a born Belizean and that it is not right to have locked up a woman who is 8 months pregnant.
Reporter
"She was born here?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"She was born here but her mother took her back to her country to grow up."
Reporter
"At what age did her mom take her back to Guatemala?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"I do not know exactly."
Reporter
"Okay but you would say as a baby?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"Yes as a baby I would say, but she is a Belizean because she was born in Belize."
Reporter
"Do you know when she came back to Belize?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"I'm not sure, she's been with me for the last 4-5 years."
Reporter
"Let's go now to what happened on Friday, just tell us based on your understanding what happened. Did she go by herself to the Social Security office, were you with her? What exactly happened? Your version of the story."
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"She went to Social Security to try to apply for her Social Security card. I asked her if she wanted me to go with her to check on her. She said 'no it's okay', it's just to sign something and she'll be right back with me, because I was taking care of my son. A few minutes after, I saw her coming out crying and two police came behind her. Only she knew why they had taken her to the station. I did not know why."
Reporter
"So when you got to the station, what did they tell you then?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"That she had false documents, birth paper."
Reporter
"Okay and what was your response to this? Do you know of any false documentation that she has?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"No, she has everything right, set everything in order. She went down to Toledo to find the doctor and the nurse that helped her mother give birth to her. She found them, got a JP to sign, went through the hospital, everything was set in order. You cannot change at the clerk in the hospital, everything is in order."
Reporter
"And you don't know if she has a Guatemalan birth certificate?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"No, I do not know about that, I think she must have that, I do not know."
Reporter
"Okay so what do you think the issue was then? With her presenting this birth certificate? Why did they see it as a false documentation?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"Well because she has been working for Luke Espat for the past 8 years and I do not remember what's the name of the Head Commanding officer in Cayo, because Luke Espat went in and said he came to present her. Things just went all wrong."
Reporter
"So you think this is political?"
Gustavo Velasquez, Husband
"Yes this went political. I would really like to have them launch an investigation as to why is this exactly. An investigation as to why they had to do something like that and she's 8 and 1/2 month pregnant, they have no kind of heart or consideration towards anyone on a cold floor sleeping for 2 days. It was cold up here in Cayo. People can just imagine the suffering she went through. I've been trying day in and day out to take her out and I cannot."
So still, it is not clear as to what documentation Castro presented at the Social Security office because police have all the documents. In terms Castro's health, her husband says that the stress she endured in detention has affected the baby - the doctors said that she got an infection and that the baby has shifted position. Castro is at the hospital right now under police guard. We will keep following this case.
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