Belize accepts migrants seeking asylum in the US

The small Central American country of Belize has signed an agreement with Washington to act as a “safe third country” for migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

Belize Prime Minister John Antonio Briceño said the deal – which must be approved by the Belize Senate – would mean migrants deported from the US would be able to apply for asylum instead of being returned to their home countries.

The US State Department called it “an important milestone in ending illegal immigration” and “ending the abuse” of the US asylum system.

The deal looks similar to the one with Paraguay announced in August.

This year, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras also accepted people deported from the US.

Human rights groups in the US and abroad have sharply criticized such deals, saying migrants face the risk of being sent to countries where they could be harmed.

Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on social media that the agreement “includes strict security measures to protect the national security and sovereignty of Belize.”

“The agreement gives Belize full authority to approve or reject transfers, limits eligibility to certain nationalities and ensures comprehensive background checks, among other measures,” it said.

Prime Minister Briceño told local media that for Belize it would be “more like a job program where people with certain qualifications can come to Belize” and “participate meaningfully in our economy.”

He added that the country, which has a population of 417,000, would prefer to take people from Central America, adding that “we are not going to open up to the whole world.”

But Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar Panton expressed “serious concerns” about the deal, saying it “could reshape Belize’s immigration and asylum systems, impose new financial burdens on taxpayers and raise serious questions about national sovereignty and security.”

The US State Department posted on X that the agreement was “an important milestone in ending illegal immigration, halting the abuse of our nation’s asylum system, and strengthening our shared commitment to jointly address challenges in our hemisphere.”

Further details of the agreement have not yet been disclosed.

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping effort to crack down on undocumented migrants, a key campaign promise that drew massive support during his campaign.

In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them a chance to raise any risks they might face to officials.