Belize and the US also collaborate on the issue of migration. Many migrants use Belize as a transit country to get to the US. But Belize itself has the lowest migration numbers in the region. However, in recent years, many Belizeans have sought asylum in the US. We asked Nichols if they've observed any significant increases.
Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary, US State Dept.
"First, let me just go back to, Belize's leadership as part of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration Protection, which was signed in 2022, where numerous countries in our hemisphere have taken steps to promote safe, regular migration in our region, and to dissuade irregular migration and to dismantle the trafficking networks that prey on people who might be interested in migrating. The fact that the Belizean government is pursuing a program to regularize workers in Belize is something that we think is very positive. And I gave my thanks and congratulations to the prime minister and the foreign minister in particular around that process. As we look at the numbers of migrants in our region, there are millions and millions of people who are on the move in the Americas and globally. There are over 100 million migrants on the move. Many of those people in our region are coming from Venezuela, which is experiencing a long standing political, economic and social humanitarian crisis. And there are also other countries in our hemisphere that are in difficult situations, and we're seeing them use Belize largely as a transit country, in their efforts. Nonetheless, some of them do stay here. And that regularization program and our cooperation broadly around migration issues is very valuable. The United States, just in the last year has provided some $600 million in migration related humanitarian assistance to countries throughout the hemisphere, including Belize. And we look forward to partnering with Belize, going forward to address irregular migration."
Email
Print