U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Belize
| Publisher | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |
| Publication Date | 25 May 2004 |
| Cite as | United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Belize , 25 May 2004, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/40b45933c.html [accessed 7 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Belize hosted 860 refugees and asylum seekers at year-end 2003, including 660 Salvadorans, 80 Guatemalans, 70 Nicaraguans, and 50 Hondurans. Thirteen people from Belize sought asylum in the United States.
New Developments
Hundreds of the refugees in Belize are long-stayers. Belize naturalized 190 refugees, including 90 Guatemalans, 60 Salvadorans, 20 Nicaraguans, and 20 Hondurans, but did not offer refugee protection to new arrivals. There were about 10 asylum seekers in the country, but no asylum process in 2003. Undocumented presence, even that of asylum seekers, was treated as a criminal offense subject to six month's imprisonment. This can extend much longer since Belize has difficulties deporting asylum seekers without proper documents.
