Jamaican Out on Bail for Immigration Offense Must Remain in Belize

Carlos Higgins

A Jamaican national who has been in custody for more two weeks is tonight out on bail. Carlos Higgins has been accused of wilfully supplying false information to the Belize Immigration Department.  According to the department, on November twenty-third; an immigration officer questioned Higgins at the Phillip Goldson International Airport about his purpose for entering the county. Allegations are that Higgins wilfully supplied false information to the immigration officer while being questioned. Higgins appeared before the Belize City Magistrates Court today, two weeks after his detention, where it was revealed that he declared his address to be Mandeville, Jamaica. He provided the department his information about his stay in Belize, and his occupation. But, when authorities asked him to present his flight itinerary to show his return home, the officer noted that his return flight was dated December first, from Belize to Panama to Santo Domingo. Higgins also claimed to be a resident of Dominican Republic, but he was unable to show proof of his residency. As a result, the immigration officer advised Higgins of the violation he was committing. Thereafter, he was charged for the offense. Higgins plead not guilty in court and his attorney, Norman Rodriquez, is challenging the allegation. According to Rodriquez, Higgins was detained for nine days before being released into his custody on December third. Rodriquez contended that Higgins checked into a hotel where he stayed until Saturday, December ninth, when authorities visited the hotel, detained and charged him with the offense. Today, Rodriquez asked the Magistrate Court to dismiss the matter, accusing the Immigration Department of maliciously levering the charge against his client after nine days of being detained. The court ruled that the department has provided enough evidence against Higgins for a case to be heard. As a result, he was granted bail in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, plus two sureties of twenty-five hundred dollars. Higgins also had to surrender his travel documents to the court. He is set to reappear on February twelfth.