Several persons arraigned for immigration offenses
Lucia Amador Alvarez
The Belize Immigration Department has made another arrest in the alleged nationality scam in which a number of persons, mostly immigrants, have been caught using fake birth and nationality certificates. Today, Guatemalan national, Lucia Amador Alvarez, was charged for the two counts of using a Belizean certificate she is not entitled to. The Guatemalan housewife of Pueblo Del Sol area, Caye Caulker was found in possession of a Belizean birth certificate which she allegedly relied upon to acquire nationality. Alvarez appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano late this evening where she wasted no time and pleaded guilty to both charges and was fined one thousand dollars each. Last month, police made a number of arrests of persons living in Caye Caulker and San Pedro who had fake Belizean documents. The claim is that Guatemalan national Marleny Castellanos was the mastermind behind the scheme in which she provided them with fake documents using the names of deceased Belizeans. She has been charged with eighteen counts of aiding and abetting the nationals to obtain nationality. 
The court also dealt with another immigration matter. Salvadoran national Nehmias Lelis Ortiz was arraigned for three counts of employing a person not in possession of a temporary employment permit He was found this morning at the K.H.M.H. employing two Salvadoran nationals, Ismael Oviedo and Jose Manuel Vasquez and Guatemalan national, Carlos Carillos Ba. The men did not possess employment permits. Ortiz told the court he employed the men only for one day but still he was fined a total of three thousand dollars. Ortiz’s three employees are expected to be charged on Thursday.
Let me get this clear, you knowingly and willfully acquire a Belizean birth certificate by deceptive means (illegally) and you get fined a thousand dollars? LOL. They’re not being deported forthwith? No wonder anyone, even criminals run to Belize because it’s so easy to get there and sneak under the radar. The million dollar question is, has anyone bothered to investigate who in Vital Records were signing these documents? Has there been a pattern of the same person signing documents for these folks. The mastermind behind this had to have had one person who was their contact in both Vital Statistics office and Passport office. Somebody was being paid off. Then, the numb numb immigration officers at passport office; you get an application for a passport and you come across someone taking a picture with a certain name on the documents (birth certificate etc), you can’t even use your common sense to arise suspicion? My point is, Belize is small, people know people and we should know nationalities. Someone comes in with a name which sometimes doesn’t match physical features, ask question. We are one of the most diverse country in the world as far as nationalities and ethnic group. I’ve travelled extensively and I’m able to tell a Salvadoranan, Guatemalan, Haitian, Puerto Rican, someone from Jamaica, Trinidad, England, etc. Why? They might look alike or speak the same language, but there are distinguishing characteristics; whether it be in the texture of their skin , the manner in which they speak (Slang, speed at which they speak), manner in the way they dress, etc. Dang! We are so far behind it’s not funny. You come into that immigration line in the US and get pulled out and you’ll see. Every Customs officer is trained and believe me, they will ask you questions about your profession that you never thought they knew. They are rounding up these folks but refuse to arrest whoever is in the ministry signing these documents. Maybe Godwin can tell us.
Belize! Why Belize! Politicians will destroy this country for us. The problem we have again in these offices is that people are not well trained. Immigration officers in other countries have degrees in Psychology, Sociology, etc..
WAKE UP BELIZE
If d ministers could do it n get away Scot free, what do you think?