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Small central american nation of belize Has signed “Safe Third Country” agreement with United States of AmericaThe two sides said Monday as the Trump administration seeks to increase deportations and stem migration north.
It was not immediately clear what the agreement included, but it came as US President donald trump Pressure is increasing on countries latin american And to help Africa meet their immigration agenda.
The deal appears to be similar to the one the US State Department announced in August for Paraguay that included a “safe third country” agreement in which asylum seekers currently in the US can seek protection in the South American nation.
In Trump’s first term, the US signed several agreements that would require asylum seekers to request protection in other countries, such as Guatemala, before heading north. The policy was criticized for making it harder for migrants to seek asylum in the US and was later rolled back by the Biden administration.
Earlier this year, Panama and Costa Rica also accepted U.S. flights of hundreds of deportees from Asian countries — making deals without “safe third country” agreements — and plunging migrants into a kind of international crisis. The US has also signed agreements such as deportation agreements with war-torn South Sudan, Eswatini and Rwanda.
The government of Belize said in a statement on Monday that it “retains a full veto on transfers, including restrictions on nationalities, a limit on people transferred, and extensive security checks.”
The government of the largely rural nation located between Mexico and Guatemala “reaffirmed its commitment to international law and humanitarian principles while ensuring strong national security.” It states that anyone deemed a threat to public safety will not be allowed to enter the country.
On Monday, the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs thanked Belize in a post on X, calling the agreement “an important milestone in strengthening our shared commitment to end illegal immigration, end abuses of our nation’s asylum system, and tackle challenges in our hemisphere.”
The decision drew sharp criticism from Belizean politicians, who opposed the agreement and called it “a decision with profound national consequences” that was announced with little government transparency. The agreement must be approved by the Senate of Belize to take effect.
“This agreement, by its very nature, could reshape Belize’s immigration and asylum systems, impose new financial burdens on taxpayers, and raise serious questions about national sovereignty and security,” Tracy Tager Panton, opposition leader in the Parliament of Belize, wrote on social media.
He sharply criticized human rights violations resulting from similar policies adopted by both the US and Europe.
He wrote, “Belize is a compassionate and law-abiding country. We believe in humanitarian principles. But compassion should not be confused with compliance at any cost. Belize should not be used as a dumping ground for people whom other countries refuse to accept.”