For the last couple of days Immigration has been sweeping the north construction sites and rounding up the workers who are here illegally. I’m not sure just what they are doing with them but this is good news.
This afternoon there was a check point at the bridge and they were checking the people who were crossing.
I’m hopeful that this is something the local politicians and police can agree on.

There was a checkpoint at Mosquito Coast as well.

IMO -they should also do a sweep of the schools=we have way too many illegals on this island and we should only educate the legal children on this island

Arent you a little ray of sunshine...

Brussel, I do believe Pedro's comment is what is commonly refered to as sarcasm.

Harriette, if all the illegal construction workers are rounded up, who is going to do the work? and at what price?

If all the illegal people were paying for work permits, they would not be illegal and then we would have all the money needed to educate all the children. Problem solved.

Amazing insight here. Who would have known it is okay to break the immigration laws of the country of Belize, so long as one is willing to work for sub-standard wages in the field of construction, and live in an equally sub-standard 'house'. Do we really need those pesky visas?

Leah-Ann 'Someone has to pick the strawberries'

So, Melquiades had two friends?

They also have picked up illegal expats that own businesses.

And rightly so. The point being that the immigration laws should be enforced in all cases. The reference to the movie about Ezequiel Hernandez is puzzling as no one here has suggested that illegals be shot and buried three times. Its certainly possible that I am dull and confused in this regard.

Maybe the suggestion is shot and returned to their country of origin to be buried.

The board is full of well read and literate folks , I love it.
I spent some time running/hiding from immigration as an illegal immigrant. It was an enriching/humbling experience I think everyone would benefit from.
Nothing gives insight to the problem like being in a boat load of illegal immigrants and your one of them.

LOL Elbert - no doubt that sort of misadventure would be an eye-opening experience!

We rant and rave about crime; explain it away when there is no work then wring our hands when something is done about it. Naysayer’s amaze me.
Let’s only enforce the laws we are not breaking?
What I like about what is happening is that for once the politicians and police are on the same side of this issue. That is a great beginning.
Everyone should know that it is now important to carry ID. One of our “celebrated” builders close to me here was stopped at the bridge and he had none on him. He had to leave his golf cart and walk to his place and get ID.
Since the BDF were all so young, good looking, in good shape and smiling I simply held my hands in the air and said “take me away.” (No, they didn’t – darn foiled again)

Harriette..you are so funny....I would have done the same!!!

Well, elbert, now you're talking about empathy. That's an entirely different conversation, probably of little interest to most here.

No argument from me that some "amazing" insight has been demonstrated in this thread. A simple and very straight-forward question was asked: if all the illegal construction workers are rounded up, who is going to do the work? and at what price?
How one extrapolates from that support of illegal activity and sub-standard wages and housing is beyond me. Of course, to quote a friend: "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
As for the reference to "Three Burials," certainly elbert can speak for himself, but I took it to mean exactly what I meant when I asked the question. Someone has to do the work. If not the undocumented then who? My understanding is that the situation in Belize is no different from the circumstances in the US. If fair wages, adequate working conditions, SS, workers comp, etc, were being provided, the jobs would be held by citizens. You can deport all the undocumented but then what? If it is to be citizens filling these jobs then there will necessarily be a marked increase in the costs of production - whether we're talking construction or strawberries. Employers don't absorb that - so you can expect to start paying a good deal more for those vacation homes and strawberries. You can't have it both ways, folks.

Oh, and certainly no one suggested the undocumented be shot and haphazardly burried. The only comment I saw was, "I’m not sure just what they are doing with them but this is good news." That certainly comports with the attitude protrayed in the movie: "I don't care what happens to them, just keep the strawberries coming..." which, elbert, I do believe brings us full circle.
ndeed

The unemployment rate of Belize is somewhere between 9% and 12%.

That would give you 25K to 35K Belizeans currently out of work. I would think you could find a few hundred in that batch to work in construction.

There are plenty of Belizeans who would probably be very happy to do the work - I'd hazard to say they would be willing to travel from the mainland for those jobs if necessary. Any increase in the costs of production would directly benefit the citizens performing the work for a fair wage. I, along with most decent folks, am willing to pay more to ensure that I am engaging in legal commerce. The acts of feeling empathy and obeying the law can exist simultaneously. If the black market work force of illegals disappeared or decreased, the citizens of Belize, among which are skilled construction workers, would benefit greatly, and crime would decrease as people had the opportunity to earn a decent living with fair wages, adequate working conditions, etc.

I have to guess that you are being sarcastic regarding the 'shot and ... burried' business. If not, I clarify that the reference was very obviously given in relation to your mention of the character Melquiades in Three Burials, which is a story based on the life and death of an illegal Mexican man named Esequiel Hernandez. Mr. Hernandez was shot by a US marine on border patrol duty and subsequently his body was buried three times due to intervening circumstances.

If someone shoots me , I want to be buried in the San Pedro Graveyard and please let me stay there. Even if some of my friends and relatives from Mississippi show up and say,' yall cant burry him in no forein soil'.

When one considers all the costs involved with employing qualified grave diggers Elbert, perhaps the best you could hope for would be to be towed out over the reef and used as chum?

Your still thinking like a US person, in Belize its cheap to get buried, your friends dig a hole and put you in it. no burial policy's ,maintenance fees, real estate taxes on the plot, grave diggers union, etc. The trick is having at least 6 friends when you go.

The guy in this video is an A$% H(%$, he should be deported.
http://13gb.com/videos/1163/popular/

I agree, that is one sick dude.

The Amazing Racist is a character, like Borat or Ali G. He's a creation of a Jewish American comedian, Ari Shaffir, and my impression is that his comedy is stoked in irony about the way racists behave. I don't think what he does is much more extreme than Carlos Mencia, who has a mainstream TV show. In fact, I think there is some dispute between the two comedians about stealing material.

I think most of the stuff he does is set up as none of his 'victims' seem to notice the cameraman.

I'm not a fan, but I hardly think it is shocking.

Everyone in this town wanted results with the crime problem. Now you are seeing our hard work pay off. More to come, please do what you can to support our efforts N. Watch. Please see this as a success and do your part.

I wonder what the average Belizean working class citizen thinks about this action? I think I know the answer to that. Are they not the exact class of people that immigration/work permit laws in Belize are designed to protect?

Also, makes one wonder why these illegals don't bother to obtain proper documentation for themselves. . .that is, if they really want to work, are not criminals, etc. And, what other laws are they breaking that are a detriment to the town?

If the town, government and police all want results, there is a problem. I hope it works!

We also had 3 immigration workers come to our office, was quite scary even though we have our papers. They seemed like they meant business. Asked a lot of questions. My husband had to run home and get our passports, the immigration guys didn't even want him to leave, asked if someone could bring them to us! I finally asked if there was a problem and he said it was just routine. Didn't feel very "routine" to me!

To catch illegal workers you have to check everybody and I mean everybody. I have lived in several countries and you had to carry ID all the time, I am not sure about the law in Belize, but I always carried 4 with me and not one was my passport.

1, Social Security Card.
2. Identification Card.
3. Belize Driving License.
4. Gun Licence.

They were my 4 aces and all issued in Belize, my passport was issued in England.

In the 5 years that we were there the only problem we had was my 3 year old son did not have a work permit after being there 6 months. We had to go to Belmopan to prove he was 3.

Simon makes a excellent point about the illegal construction workers. I agree 100%.

Police checkpoints can deal with a lot of items - all pretty positive in my estimation .........
1. Police get to know the community - who lives here, who works here, who is stoned, who is agressive and violent, who is legal and who is not.
2. Police can intercept the illegals, drunk drivers and those carrying contraband or stolen goods.
3. Police also let the bad guys know they are HERE.
4. Residents and workers get to know the police.

We have illegals of all stripes here. Employers who hire illegals are breaking the law and make life hard for those whose businesses are in competition and who have legal operations and wages.
We have our share of idiots who are running from the US Marshalls too - what a great way to get these guys gone.
Our workers and caretakers are all commenting on the police presence in our area. At one of our residential projects the caretaker commented that police visit the site 3 times a night.
They also were around to intervene when a worker got drunk and pulled a knife on his supervisor at another property.
This probably prevented loss of life - just by being there and ready to do the work of policing the community. The normal job, done right - that is all we have been asking and it seems that it's finally happening.

Agreed Diane. I would much rather have an uncomfortable moment with the officers checking our papers and such than an uncomfortable moment with some hopped up guy with a knife.

Great...solveth the crime problem, then the illegal stray dog issue.

Simon and Beth, while I agree that these jobs should go to people legally in the country, "the average Belizean working class citizens" (and the employers) I've had conversations with on the subject have said Belizeans don't want the jobs because they don't pay enough. A couple of years ago I was taken to a construction site and shown the living conditions of several workers (I was told primarily from Equador(?) and Guatemala) - pieces of leftover lumber haphazardly thrown together with no toilet facilities anywhere in sight. I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to work under those conditions. It is the same with many agricultural jobs (and other service jobs I suspect) in the US. It is nothing more than supply & demand. Immigrants come because there is a demand for cheap labor and they are willing to work cheaply. If willing Belizeans (or Americans) were available to take those jobs wouldn't they go there first? The simple fact is undocumented immigrants are willing to work cheaply and they don’t demand benefits. That ensures housing in Belize costs less, Americans have readily available cheap gardening services and continue to pay a lot less at the grocery store than they would otherwise have to.

I am not proposing at all that the solution is to permit the undocumented to come and go as they please. I agree that there are many serious problems that come with that, although I question the school of thought which places blame for all of any society's ills on undocumented workers. My point was simply that if any country plans to eliminate the undocumented, its citizens better understand the very real ramifactions. And legislation alone is not going to change the current situation. It will take major changes on the part of employers and ultimately consumers. Beth, you say most are willing to pay more to ensure legal commerce. How much more? US history has demonstrated otherwise. Americans have been and continue to be willing to outsource and hire illegally to maintain access to cheap food, shelter and clothing. Do you honestly see that changing?

Um, actually I was quoting, and agreeing with, you...

Leah Ann it doesn't appear that you have a firm grasp on this situation as it exists in Belize, or even here stateside for that matter. To each his own opinion, however your arguments have become circuitous.

I am very happy that the AC/SP community and politicians and police have pulled together to deal with the issues. All of the citizens and residents I know living there are relieved about the efforts being made to account for illegals and hopefully the crime will decrease. I support their efforts completely.

I can't think of any reason to post such a comment other than in an attempt to embarass, insult or hurt, so no response from me is required.

Agreed, your response was not required. Your assessment is hypocritical however, as you have many times asserted that others on the board don't know anything about the subject matter they may be opining upon. So, its just my opinion - take it or leave it, no need to be a crybaby about it.

Call me naive, but I can't help but wonder what is actually wrong with adhearing to the law, whatever country you may be in?

If you don't like the law, vote in someone who will enact new laws if you are a legal voter there, or return to your own country if you don't like the laws of the one you are visiting: or you could always take the current favorite shortcut and have new laws Legislated direct from the bench?

It just saves so much time, especially if you know whats right for the country, and just don't have the time to seek approval from the "little people?"

And to answer a question raided earlier in this thread: If lettuce were to cost $4 and a tomato $3 but the counterbalance was no funding of schools or free emergency medical care for those here illegally that has to be amortized amongst the paying consumers, perhaps I would be able to afford medical insurance for myself at that oh so inconvenient stage of my life in between retirement and Medicare!

If I ever need a Heart Transplant, my choice is between bankruptcy or walking into my local bank, placing my Sig on the counter, and relying on Prisoners Welfare advocates to ensure I get the treatment!

I agree 100% Nothing but good can come out of their efforts. These actions are long overdue.

It's nice to know that we have a poster here who is able to determine whose response is required or not. Sure takes the pressure off!! Must be a burden tho, having that much intellect . . .

Just because a response isn't required, that doesn't necessarily mean one will not be forthcoming

LOL KC! Leah Ann stated that her response was not required and I agreed with her. And she responded (of course)! You guys crack me up!

I don't see a response from LA, but, in any case, Pug is correct . . . opinions here are worth what you pay for them!!

KC, my opinions here are free, unless I am on the clock. LOL. Then, there are those things called billable hours...

And a bargain they are, Laurie, at half the price!!

Your naive.

...but naive.

given my unfirm grasp of things, perhaps I can learn a few things here

Nothing at all in my opinion. What do you think is actually wrong with adhearing to the law in the country to which you immigrated? Or is there a list of laws that don't really count?

I think that raises some valid points. The studies seem to be all over the place in terms of pure economic costs/benefits resulting from the presence of undocumented workers. This seems to present a pretty balanced discussion of some of the differing views. http://blog.lib.umn.edu/ihrc/immigration/2007/10/putting_the_cost_of_illegal_im.html

Will deporting all undocumented immigrants be all that is necessary to raise wages sufficently enough to ensure that the legal workers taking the jobs are not just as dependent on public assistance as those they replace? I don't understand how that will be without a dramatic impact on the economy in terms of escalation prices on everything. I don't know the answer, and again I'm not saying permitting illegal immigration is it. I'd be interested in hearing from those in the know.

Oh, and is a heart transplant actually a viable option?

Is Belize considering these to be illegal immigrants and deporting them? Or are they considered illegal workers because they have not paid for a work permit?
If the later is the case, having more people without incomes on the island does not seem like a way to prevent crime.

that's a good point, bywarren. And what are they doing with the illegal expats that own businesses that have been picked up? Are the businesses being shut down at a cost of jobs for some Belizeans?

It sounds like they are deporting them, from SP at least according to Harriet's recent observation.

You should not be in business if you do not have work permits if needed, illegal is illegal, why should expats be treated any different. The law is for everybody.

Public Assistance? I don't think there is such a thing here - but I may be wrong; that is “the American Way of Life.” And look what it has done to the USA.

This is the S-L-O-W season and lots of people are looking for work. The people who live here - legally - year round dread this time of year. Many restaurants close for the month of September and the resorts are hurting too. There are not many tourists on the streets.

There were a lot of things that attracted me to live here – one of them being Belizeans taking care of Belizeans. The good businessmen/women I know only hire people with work permits and take good care of them. This builds loyalty and harmony. People who come here to make a fast buck and get out usually don’t do so well in the end.

Those of you who brag about being above the law should be arrested as soon as possible. I would love to hear what you have to say from Hattieville!

Well said Harriette

Inplub, would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of the post I obviously missed where someone advocated special treatment for expats in violation of the law?
I was curious if expats running illegal businesses were impacting innocent Belizeans. Thanks for the answer iluvbelize, sounds like they are.
Harriette, Public Assistance is not “the American Way of Life” although it is certainly more prevelent than it should be. It's good that you found somewhere to live that makes you happy. Your constant negative comments about the US make it very evident that it was not the place for you. Now who are those people "who brag about being above the law" and "should be arrested as soon as possible?" I obviously missed all the "bragging" posts as well.

Just checked your occupation and yes you are right. Belizeans would not loose their jobs if the businesses are legal, i.e. had Work Permits, paid their Taxes and their Social Security. I can only think of one reason why a business would not be legal and that is they do not want to pay what is due to Belize and the Belizean people, and my sister-in-law is a Belizean.

I haven't heard of any businesses being shut down..........does anyone know if this is true?

They came to our office, but of course we had all documentation they needed. So I know they are checking.

The business was not illegal. The owner had a lapsed work permit and the new one had not been issued. Also a gringo had over stayed their 30 days and had not renewed their visa.

The Immigration sweep made my neighborhood very quiet and peaceful, or I should say more quiet and more peaceful. A lot of Guatemalans
and Hondurans who do construction work on the North end camp in vacant houses and cause trouble in the neighbor hood, this came to an abrupt end.
I would love to see the sweep more often.
Even the Beach is relieved , I rake it daily and 30 to 40 bike tracks go up and back to the sites. this morning i had just one Belizean on a motor cycle.

I have heard Cafe Eruopa is up for lease

Elbert - That is great news!