On 19th January 2021 The International Organization for Migration in Belize handed over food items and cleaning supplies to the D’Silva Camp, a quarantine facility for irregular migrants located at the Mountain Pine Ridge forest reserve.
The donation which included rice, beans, flour, canned food, oil, hand sanitizer, disinfectant and repellent is part of a contribution to the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security to help irregular migrants who are in quarantine at the Camp. The assistance was funded by the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM).
The RCM is a Regional Consultative Process, that is voluntary, non-binding and operates by consensus. It provides a space for respectful, frank, and honest discussions among Member Countries on regional and international migration, ensuring greater coordination, transparency, and cooperation. Belize is a member country, and actively participates in the meetings of the RCM.
In accepting the donation at the D’Silva Camp yesterday from IOM Head of Office Diana Locke, Lt. Col. Anthony Velazquez expressed that “This donation will strengthen the care provided to irregular migrants at the D’Silva Camp and will help the Belize Defence Force staff to continue providing assistance to migrants in accordance with the COVID-19 sanitary protocols established by the Government of Belize”.
Currently, over 30 irregular migrants are complying with the mandatory 14-day quarantine at the facility. Migrants from Central American countries and Mexico are disaggregated by gender and family units and placed in separate places (shelters).
IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.
