On the morning of July 30, 2026, Belize received its third cohort of displaced Caribbean and Central American nationals under a bilateral Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, marking the first group to complete all mandatory security screenings and government reviews for entry into the country.
Of the approximately seven to eight arrivals, the majority hail from Haiti, with a small number of Central American migrants also included in the transfer. All individuals in the group have been granted permission to remain in Belize as they推进 their asylum claims.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Government of Belize retains full authority to review every transfer request on an individual basis, and reserves the right to reject any application that does not meet the country’s entry and security requirements. The Belizean government confirmed this week that this latest group is the first to successfully clear all required background checks and vetting processes established under the deal.
In recent weeks, widespread public anxiety has spread across Belize amid unsubstantiated rumors and local media reports claiming that the transferred population includes dangerous convicted criminals deported from U.S. correctional facilities. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan, pushed back firmly against these claims, labeling widespread narratives about criminal arrivals as misinformation.
Martin explained that all individuals in the third cohort passed rigorous security background clearances conducted jointly by U.S. and Belizean authorities before being approved for transfer. “These are not people straight out of U.S. prisons,” Martin emphasized in an interview. “These are individuals seeking safe haven and protection, who actively requested to continue their asylum process in Belize. All of their cases were individually reviewed by the Belizean government, which determined they were a suitable fit for resettlement here.”
Martin added that Belize offers unique advantages for asylum seekers from both Central America and the Caribbean. The country shares deep cultural ties with both regions, and provides accessible language support for migrants from Spanish-speaking Central American nations who are still learning English, making it an ideal location for them to build new lives while their asylum claims are processed.
While the exact number of future transfers has not been announced, the agreement establishes a framework for ongoing relocation of asylum seekers who first reached the United States to third countries in the region, with Belize as one of the participating partner nations.