By: Omar Silva

Editor: National Perspective Bz, DIGITAL 2024

Belize City: Thursday 29th August 2024

In a disturbing display of institutional discrimination, Belize’s Immigration Department, under the Ministry of Immigration, has launched a targeted campaign of harassment against the country’s Hispanic population—the largest ethnic group and the backbone of Belize’s workforce. This alarming practice has laid bare the systemic profiling of Hispanic residents, who are being humiliated and harassed by a heartless immigration enforcement apparatus intent on singling them out.

Yesterday, around 10 a.m., a team of approximately six immigration officers descended on the Belize City Bus Terminal. What should be a routine transit point for many Hispanic individuals, either departing to or arriving from other municipalities or rural villages, has instead become a scene of discomfort and fear. Immigration officers aggressively demand proof of national status from anyone who appears to be of light-skinned Hispanic descent, turning what should be a simple trip into a harrowing ordeal.

This despicable act is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of discrimination. Hispanic residents and visitors, particularly those frequenting the nearby market or engaging in street vending, are regularly confronted by immigration officers who demand proof of their legal status in the country. The timing of these operations, often coinciding with periods when many are in the city to make essential purchases for their families, adds another layer of distress to an already humiliating experience.

The real tragedy lies in the fact that Belize does not provide or facilitate a national identity card or identification system. While Social Security cards or driver’s licenses exist, they are not mandatory to carry at all times. Yet, Hispanics are unfairly targeted, pulled over, and forced to prove their citizenship by birth or updated immigration status on the spot. This is particularly egregious considering that many individuals in Belize do not have legal immigration status—yet only the Hispanic community is subjected to such invasive scrutiny.

The Selective Silence on Other Ethnic Groups

What makes this blatant discrimination even more outrageous is the selective silence of the Immigration Department when it comes to other ethnic groups residing in Belize without legal status. It’s no secret that the country is home to a diverse population, some of whom may also lack proper immigration documentation. Yet, enforcement actions seem to exclusively target Hispanics, creating an environment where ethnicity, rather than legality, determines who is harassed and humiliated.

This selective targeting raises serious questions about the underlying motives of the Immigration Department. Why are only Hispanics being profiled, stopped, and detained? Why is there no comparable effort to address immigration status across all ethnicities? The answer points to a disturbing reality: this is not about upholding the law; it’s about wielding power against the most vulnerable, using ethnicity as a weapon of oppression.

The Broader Implications for Belizean Society

The discriminatory practices of the Immigration Department have broader implications that should alarm every Belizean. Today, it is the Hispanic community under siege. Tomorrow, it could be another group. When the state begins to discriminate against one segment of the population, it sets a dangerous precedent that can erode the rights and freedoms of all citizens.

Belize, as a nation, must reckon with this injustice. The government, particularly the Ministry of Immigration, must be held accountable for the harm inflicted on the Hispanic community. It is time for a thorough investigation into these discriminatory practices and for immediate reforms to ensure that all residents are treated with the fairness and respect they deserve.

In a country that prides itself on its multicultural identity, this kind of blatant discrimination has no place. The Hispanic community, like all others in Belize, deserves to live and work without fear of being unjustly targeted by the very institutions that are supposed to protect them. The actions of the Immigration Department are not just an attack on the Hispanic community; they are an attack on the very values that should unite Belize as a nation.

It is time for Belize to decide whether it will uphold the dignity and rights of all its people or allow institutionalized discrimination to erode the very fabric of its society. The choice is clear, and the time for action is now.