July 10, 2010 --

Belize immigration staff regularly issue work visas to ficha bar owners for illegal residents trapped in ficha bars – specifically, human trafficking victims. It is estimated the Belize immigration department obtains remuneration from ficha bar owners for approximately 6, 600 human trafficking victims annually.

Work visas cost bar owners $1, 500 (Belize) if they are issued by immigration for a human trafficking victim. By comparison, a legitimate visa has a price tag of $150 (Belize).

The bar owners treat this “purchase” as payola, a cost of doing business, with the understanding that they have bought the blind-eye of the immigration department -- from the inspector level to the top executive.

“Belize immigration is profiting from human trafficking and complicit in keeping victims trapped in the forced prostitution business, ” said Trill. “Instead of identifying trafficking victims to assist them, immigration staff extort money to keep the victims in slavery.”

Compounding the corruption, the same immigration officials regularly raid ficha bars and arrest the same human trafficking victims for whom they have issued sham work visas. Immigration is able to make the arrests because the victims have no documentation and are in the country illegally. The victims are in Belize because they have been trafficked across borders. They have no passports or other identification because the bar owners take whatever documents they have.

After arrest, most of these women wind up in Hattieville Central Prison on remand, where the Kolbe Foundation gets over $400, 000 a year for incarcerating human trafficking victims. These profits are due mainly to Belize immigration staff co-operation across the country.

“Belize immigration officials, to the executive level, are victimizing human trafficking victims, ” said Trill. “Belize is poised for worst-list human trafficking status. To avert Tier 3 designation, it is incumbent on Belize to ensure their immigration staff are identifying and assisting victims, not profiting from human trafficking.”

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