Dec 18, 2013

…And speaks on the latest immigration scandal with Salvadoran national

Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse also spoke on the latest Immigration scandal in which a Salvadoran national received his Belizean nationality certificate in one day. Rafael Vasquez-Medina claims that he paid five hundred dollars to an agent who got him his nationality in a week using fake documents. He received nationality by descent because those documents claimed that he had a Belizean mother from Guinea Grass. Since the news broke last week there have been more questions than answers, but not according to Hulse. He seemed relatively unconcerned, stating that the Salvadoran has been arrested by Police and he will also be charged by the Immigration Department and that, basically, is the end of that.

 

Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration

“He, as far as I see it and understand it, his mother’s birth certificate that he brought was legit. She was investigated; yes born dah Belize. His birth certificate was legit; it had the necessary certifications etc. He signed the application forma dn everything, deh register ahn. It turn out they ketch ahn and in that case we may ketch many more.”

 

Reporter

“He is saying nothing of that sort happened.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“That’s what he is saying. The application form and so don’t show that. it shows his clear signature, his clear everything, his clear receipt and his clear application to the department.”

 

Reporter

“Would we be able to see that, as the media, to clear up all this speculation?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“I just cleared it up for you.”

 

Reporter

“No, no, but can we see it in black and white?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“I’m sure you can.”

 

Reporter

“Who would we have to ask for that sir?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Well give us a break. We could make you see it. We could show you the application. The police have it. As soon as we get it back from them, we wah give it to you. You have my word. I could give it to you: the application form, ih receipt, ih thing, ih thing done.”

 

Reporter

“It is not the police that has it currently; it is the Director of Immigration.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“No the Director of Immigration doesn’t have it currently. The police currently have it as far as I know; I found that out just yesterday that they still have it. Maybe get it today, maybe get it tomorrow. But as far as we are concerned we have no problem putting that out just like how we had no problem putting out the other information.”

 

Reporter

“Are you concerned about the allegations that he got this—it was all done in a week—and in fact the application was sent in one day, processed in one day/”

 

Godwin Hulse

“No. that happens all the time.”

 

Reporter

“That it is processed in one day?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“That happens…it is descent you know; it is not registration, it is descent.”

 

Reporter

“So then can you speak to the vetting that goes into place when that happens? How then did it slip that the birth certificate wasn’t real?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Because the one that came was authentic. It is authentic enough with the necessary stamps on the back and the necessary certification on the back.”

 

Reporter

“No, his one.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Well that was his one he presented. It was just a good forgery; that’s all it turned out to be.”

 

Reporter

“And the mother’s? Roberta Medina?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“The mother’s one was authentic as well. That comes from registry you know. And registry is checked and registry said okay yeah this is correct; we issued it; it done. It is the vital statistics paper. It is descent remember—don’t get it mixed up.”

 

Reporter

“I understand that, but in terms of actually going out and or trying to investigate if this mother actually exists because we’ve been out looking for her and we can’t find her anywhere. If the Ministry of Immigration had done that then you would…”

 

Godwin Hulse

“But they don’t do that. That is not part of the procedure; we don’t do that.”

 

Reporter

“Are you concerned that with all these tightening of all areas with these regulations, the vital statistics unit remains at best porous?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Well Minister Elrington has assured me that he is on that area and that he is trying to implement some systems there to tighten up that as well. But as I said, porous indeed, but bear in mind that when we publish that is another layer in the system. When we publish then people out there who know should inform us; that is why the publication.”

 

Reporter

“In terms of this gentleman, Rafael Medina Sanchez Vasquez, it seems to me that he could have been anybody. One year ago, there was this guy, alleged Hezbollah affiliate, Raffic Labboun. This guy could be another Raffic Labboun or so… So one year ago, there was this promise to shut all the doors and close off and put in all these measures so that this, but it happened again. And I don’t want to believe, I am not naïve; that this is the first one that has happened since this. This is happening. What can be done?….it has to be worrying on some level.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“You are not listening man, Mister Rudon. I just tell you. We will put it before a committee which will say okay, this is okay and we will publish it. That’s what we’ll do; it is registration. It is not the birth certificate; it is by registration. So everything that is by registration—that you obtain nationality by registration—will go to the committee, will go to the gazette, will go.”

 

Reporter

“But what about the vetting because the committee will sit around a table and say okay we got the birth certificate, we got the… even if it is a fake birth certificate, they wah look at it and say okay this okay, let’s go. But is there any vetting? They have any measures on the ground? This guy could have been anybody. He could have been setting up a terrorist cell in Belize.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Are you suggesting that the committee will be silly? And that all these people from the social partners and so will be just silly to look?”

 

Reporter

“But then is that what happened with the Director because it passed through her?”

 

Godwin Hulse

“Because that is the system Marisol; that is the system. This is why I showed you—and you probably missed it—I showed you this. This was the system. The senator got up and objected and said I am imputing wrong motive.”

 

Reporter

“Sir that was the system before you came in.”

 

Godwin Hulse

“But we are changing this. So weh happen? You putting me on trial because one year ago? We have been working feverishly to bring this up to date, man. I’m only godwin man; noh God.”

 

The Police Department has finally issued a release on the matter. Not surprisingly, there is no reference to any investigation into how the fake documents which resulted in a Belizean nationality document were conjured. We note that while Hulse seems supremely unconcerned, the sort of organized hustling displayed in this situation is mind-boggling, when Belizean identity has become so easy to procure.