As one of Belize’s busiest cross-border travel periods for the Easter holiday gets underway, authorities have moved swiftly to avoid a shutdown of the key western Benque Viejo border crossing after a sudden wave of staff absences that officials suspect is a coordinated organized action, not coincidental illness.
In comments to reporters this week, Tanya Santos, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Immigration Department, confirmed that 10 immigration officers at the Benque checkpoint called in sick across the first two days of the week. Only a small number of the absent officers submitted formal certified medical documentation to justify their leave, raising immediate red flags for leadership.
Santos noted that the timing of the mass absence is highly suspicious, coming just ahead of the peak Easter travel window when cross-border traffic surges to its highest annual levels. To rule out broader public health or environmental factors, she personally checked with other government agencies that operate out of the same border facility, and confirmed none of those teams reported any unusual spikes in sick leave.
If the absences do prove to be a coordinated action by officers pushing for changes to workplace policies, Santos emphasized that the protest action is misplaced. “If it is that it is a coordinated action, then unfortunately it would be very much misguided on their part because if there are grievances, there are procedures that need to be followed,” she said.
To prevent any disruption to border operations that would leave thousands of holiday travelers stranded, the immigration ministry launched an emergency redeployment, pulling experienced officers from entry and exit points across the entire country. The pool of replacement staff includes officers posted as far south as Punta Gorda and staff assigned to Philip Goldson International Airport, all reassigned to the Benque crossing to fill the gap.
On Thursday, Santos was joined by Lawrence Thompson, Director of Border Management and Immigration Services, for an on-site visit to the border. The pair personally thanked the reassigned officers for stepping up during the crisis, awarding each a small token of appreciation for their flexibility. Many of the officers who came in to cover the gap had already been scheduled for Easter holiday leave, but agreed to postpone their time off to keep the crossing running.
“Many of them who would have been taking their holidays, but they decided to come and stand with us and make sure that the Belizean people and the travelling public will still be able to move freely without any problems here at the border,” Santos explained.
Thompson sought to reassure the public that the incident has been contained, with no threat to either operational continuity or national security. “Regardless of the incident that had transpired with the officers calling in sick, we are ensured that the operation of the border is maintained and the national security interest is also maintained,” he said.
Officials did acknowledge that travelers should prepare for extended wait times during peak travel hours over the Easter weekend, due to the already high volume of cross-border traffic that comes with the holiday period. That said, all five of the border’s immigration processing booths are fully staffed and operating normally, with all travelers being processed in line with standard border protocols.