Belize agrees to host migrants seeking asylum in the US

The small Central American nation 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 Brisio said the deal – which must be ratified by the Belize Senate – would mean that migrants deported from the US could apply for asylum instead of being returned home.

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

The deal appears to be similar to one announced by Paraguay in August.

Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras have also taken in people deported by the US this year.

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

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 deny transfers, limits eligibility to certain nationalities and ensures comprehensive background checks, among other measures,” it said.

Prime Minister Briceno told local media that for Belize it would be “like a jobs program, through which people with certain qualifications can come to Belize” and “participate meaningfully in our economy.”

He added that the country – with a population of 417,000 people – would prefer to take people from Central America and “we will not open to the whole world”.

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

The US State Department posted on X that the deal was “an important step in strengthening our shared commitment to end illegal immigration, end abuses of our nation’s asylum system, and address challenges together in our hemisphere”.

Further details of the deal have not yet been announced.

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has launched a vigorous push to deport undocumented immigrants – a key campaign promise that drew widespread support during his campaign.

In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to immigrate to countries other than his homeland, without allowing him to face any threat with the authorities.