_{Police blocks media view as deportees arrived at Queen Street Police Station}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 22, 2025

For a number of years now, Belizeans who got caught up in the criminal justice system in the U.S., and were found to have entered that country illegally or had overstayed their visas, were routinely deported back home to Belize after they had completed their prison term in the U.S. Because the numbers were small and coming on regular commercial flights along with many other Belizean and non-Belizean passengers, little attention was given by the general population. But with the international spotlight on the new Trump Administration’s declared campaign against illegal immigrants, many Belizeans in the Jewel have been concerned about the welfare of relatives in the U.S. And that fear of mass deportations became real today as Belize received the largest contingent to date of Belizean citizens deported, or, as Brother Terry “Sticks” Smith prefers, re-imported back home from the USA.

_{Deportee flight landing in Belize}

Twenty-one Belizeans arrived in the country today, Thursday, May 22, on a chartered AIRBUS 320 jet flight that departed from Louisiana in the United States to return those persons to Belize as part of the Trump Administration’s tough campaign against illegal migrants.

The plane landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) in Ladyville around 11:15 a.m. Most of the Belizeans onboard that flight are nonviolent individuals who either entered the US illegally or overstayed their visas.

“Normally, deportees return via a commercial airline. This is the first time we have had a chartered plane come to Belize with deportees,” said Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer for the US Embassy.

_{Luke Martin, Public Relations Officer for the US Embassy}

“We saw reports with higher numbers as well. It’s the whole issue of due process, so it’s not like they were scooped off the street and put on a plane. Everybody had the right to due process, went to court, and had their appeals, so this happened through legal means … Breaking down doors, that image, going to workplaces or schools, and scooping them, no. Everybody on that flight, they were illegally in the United States. Many of them had charges ranging from burglary to attempted murder, so there were serious offenders from both a government perspective,” he added.

Martin further pointed to the efficiency of a chartered flight when such operations are carried out.

“From what we understand, it’s an efficiency issue, and every week, Belizeans are coming back on commercial air. It’s a lot of manpower [and] resources to be able to do that. So, putting people on a chartered flight like this, and also including other countries, is a cost efficiency. If the administration is moving on chartered flights, it’s more cost-effective than having several people have one-off or two-off American flights,” he said.

According to Martin, the deportation process can take an estimated two years to complete, as there’s a legal process to follow, and some deportees entered the system as late as January of this year, while some had been in the US for an extended period of time

“This was not a surprise. This was something that, right from the beginning of this current administration, the Belize Government said, ‘we will welcome back Belizeans who have overstayed or entered the United States illegally; we’ll take them back’. It’s the same way if Americans who overstayed their visas in Belize and had criminal charges here; they’re returned to the United States,” Martin further went on to note.

After being processed by Immigration Department personnel, the detainees will be transported to the Queen Street Police Station in Belize City for an additional vetting. It is expected, however, that most of those persons will be able to go home to their families.

However, one Belizean who arrived on the chartered flight, Jody Rhamdas, will be arrested for attempted murder, as he was wanted in Belize for the crime, which took place in 2023.

The chartered flight will be going on to Chile, Peru, and other Central American countries.