Last week Belize’s Foreign Minister, Hon. Eamon Courtenay, remarked in the Senate that Belize has a “serious migration problem” and that the government will be making a strong move to apply the laws to check the number of illegal persons entering and being trafficked through Belize. Worldwide people are on the move, and not only in war-torn regions. The 2020 World Migration Report estimated that 281 million persons, 3.6% of the world’s population, migrated that year.
Presently, the GOB has initiated an amnesty program which it says should see upwards of 40,000 persons being regularized, on the way to becoming citizens of Belize. Speaking on our migration history, an information sheet published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration says that in 2010 the Statistical Institute of Belize couldn’t provide statistics on undocumented immigrants, but a census they did that year showed that 14.2% of our population was born abroad. The Immigration Department’s information sheet said Belize has had two amnesties, with 8,680 undocumented immigrants being registered in 1984 and 11,168 migrants gaining permanent residence status in 1999. An aborted 2010 amnesty was expected to register more than 20,000 persons.
Across the globe, countries roll out the red carpet for immigrants who have special skills or have money to start up industries or invest in existing ones. Immigrants who work “dirt cheap” are in demand too, where there are labor-intensive businesses that aren’t extremely profitable for the owners, or the owners are rapacious.
Illegal migrants who are using our country as a transit point or are trafficked persons are a concern, but the greater problem for Belize are those who come in on work permits and do not return to their home country after their permits expire. Around 50% of workers’ permits go to the agriculture sector, and a large number of these workers move on to work in tourism, and construction.
Belizeans have a lot of sympathy for persons who want to come here to make a better life, but it is necessary to control the number of persons who come on a work permit and stay, or just sneak into the country. Charity begins at home, and there is a great need for us to first secure the futures of Belizeans who have not yet gotten a fair share of the pie. When the present government promised that all of us would win, it was speaking specifically to the thousands, the more than 50% of Belizeans, who are barely scraping by. It is primarily because of the level of destitution in the country that some Belizeans have expressed reservations about the 2022 amnesty, even though the Immigration Department insists most of the persons who will be registered have been living here for some time.
All the authorities know that the key to controlling illegal immigrants begins in the agriculture sector, where cheap labor is a necessity, except in times when prices for our products on the world market are high. It’s extremely wishful to think that all the workers who get permits to work here seasonally will go home and stay home when the harvesting is over. If Belizeans don’t harvest the crops, the population of illegal persons will grow.
There was a time when most of the field workers in the major agro industries were Belizean. It won’t take much for those days to return, but it won’t if farm owners have their way. They generally prefer foreign laborers because they are far easier to manage, they don’t ask for more pay, and they are uncomplaining about poor living conditions. There’s nothing illegal there. It’s capitalism.
If GoB is serious about solving the immigration problem it will ensure that Belizeans get those jobs. The first move must be to provide a subsidy aimed at getting farmers to improve housing conditions for farm workers. Harvesting is not for everyone, but if housing conditions are decent, there should be no trouble finding able-bodied persons in rural and urban Belize who are eager to join the seasonal work gangs.
Lord Ashcroft is not a good “ambassador” for his people
Putting aside the contention that the United Kingdom hasn’t done nearly enough to make reparations for its role in slavery and its colonial past in Belize, what the British have done by way of grants and technological assistance is being eroded by one of that nation’s sons, Lord Ashcroft, who is just about the worst ambassador.
Understandably, the British will support their citizens, and those who do well abroad are especially favored, because for centuries people on those islands have depended on their overseas “investments” to maintain their high standard of living. Business is never a tea party, but there are things such as respect and social responsibility that these foreign corporates must consider when doing business in an independent foreign country.
Local political leaders, the PUP, made a bad error when they allowed Ashcroft and his crowd to purchase control of our telecommunications company, BTL. The foreign-controlled BTL ignored the PUC, resisted the expansion of telecommunications to not-so profitable areas, and would not allow VOIP. The PUP got “wap” at the polls for their mistake.
The succeeding UDP government had no choice but to take back BTL. Those who insist on hollering that we hurt our foreign investment potential when we took back BTL don’t know how proud nations operate. Nations go to military and economic wars to protect their assets, and to preserve their dignity. All wars cost. (Though what we paid to get back BTL needs to be thoroughly investigated.)
The latest excesses, atrocities linked to Ashcroft are an application for an injunction to block an ex gratia payment GoB made to the stevedores at the Port of Belize Ltd., and a lawsuit against said stevedores over a short strike. To raise funds to counter the latter vicious attack in court, the stevedores are presently on a dollar drive.
Belize offers special incentives to attract foreign investment, but sometimes honey attracts not so desirable flies. If Belizeans looked closely, they would see that both Belize governments have been beyond fair in their dealings with Ashcroft, but without a thought of our goodwill, he turned around and bit us. It is the worst when you bring someone into your house and they abuse your hospitality.
As they go about doing business, the British try to project class, and a firm belief in fair play. The low mark of the British is their hooligans who have behaved boorishly at times at football matches. Lord Ashcroft acts like some nouveau riche who wiggled his way to the top, and now is getting some perverse joy out of using his money to bully and shame Belizeans. He should drop his case and treat the stevedores with respect, if only to stop embarrassing the UK. He is no good ambassador.