GUATEMALA CITY, Mon. Dec. 17, 2018– “Let me tell you something, there are probably more than 40,000 Guatemalan people living in Belize…Yes. Since long time ago.”
That is a statement made (and figure shared) by Carlos Raúl Morales, Former Foreign Minister of Guatemala (2014-2017) now vying for the vice presidency of Guatemala under the UNE (National Unity of Hope) banner.
He added, “I was Guatemalan consul in Belize and I know a lot. I can tell, probably some of you are coming from a Guatemalan too – great grandmother, great grandfather.”
However, in a subsequent follow-up, he hastened to clarify that he is referring to Belizeans who are of Guatemalan lineage and not to how many Guatemalans are registered at the Guatemalan Embassy in Belize as living in Belizean territory.
Morales noted that residents of Guatemalan origin who live in Belize have migrated here since over 100 years ago, particularly from the Guatemalan Department of Petén. He states, “If you go to Benque or to San Ignacio, the majority of people have relatives in Guatemala and have Guatemalan origin (grandfather, great grand grandfather, great great grandfather, etc.)…In fact, during the civil war which occurred between 1960 and 1996, many Guatemalans (as well as Salvadorans) sought refuge in Belize.”
Asked how the Guatemalan Embassy determines the number of Guatemalans living in Belize, Morales said it is impossible to know the actual figure and worse, to know the exact number of people with Guatemalan origin in Belize.
He qualified the statement: “Let’s remember, migration is a natural phenomenon that not even the United States has been able to halt. It is a human right.”
The latest sit-down with the ex-foreign minister occurred during the second leg of the “From Fear to Facts: Demystifying the ICJ” US Embassy-sponsored project. The initiative concludes with a three-day visit to Guatemala this week.
Also interviewed by the group of 10 Belizean journalists during the first day of meetings were the spokesperson from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, members of the independent think tank ASÍES, and a Guatemalan journalist.