Immigration Minister on Migrant Surge in Central America

Godwin Hulse

A surge of migrants from Central America specifically El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, is pushing governments in the region and beyond to re-examine relevant policies. Migrants, including a growing number of women and children, are fleeing the troubled region in record numbers. On average, about two hundred and sixty-five people have left annually in recent years, and this number is on track to double in 2019.  Migrants are heading to the U.S. and according to Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse; he chairs a cabinet sub-committee that was specifically formed to address this dilemma.

Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration

“We’ve formed a month ago a Cabinet subcommittee on migration which I chair. The idea was to sit down with the Minister of National Security, Ministry of Immigration, and the Ministry of Human Development to be able to look at this issue because there are two things that jump out at us that we are very concerned about. The flights coming from the U.S. and the U.S. policy when it comes to the migrants. As you know they were in deep discussion with Belize to use Belize as one of the safe countries and we opposed strongly. That was under the Obama administration. Surprisingly when the Trump administration took office there was a similar arrangement with Australia and it was reported that the Prime Minister of Australia thought it was a very stupid concept. So we will hold him to that and we are not going to be a third safe country. We are not in any way prepared to enter in those negotiations at this time. But the other issue which is the mass migrations up which is why we created the committee to be able to look should we get a rush at the border points. Trickling in we are able to handle. It goes beyond that, we are also looking at this whole issue of citizenship, rights and protection.  The police and immigration departments; their raids going on all the times and there are people being O.T.L. and deported all the time. This is an ongoing process.”