Belize will now also host migrants seeking asylum in the United States, authorities from both countries confirmed. The pact, termed a “Cooperation Agreement for the Examination of Protection Requests,” was signed on Monday, October 20.
The “Safe Third Country” agreement was inked by Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture, and Immigration, Francis Fonseca, and the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Katharine Beamer.
An official release from Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored the government’s dedication to collaborating with the international community.
📑 | Belize and the United States today signed an Agreement for Cooperation on the Examination of Protection Requests, formalised by Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Katharine Beamer, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires.
— Belize MFAFT 🇧🇿 (@MFABelize) October 20, 2025
🔗 Read more: https://t.co/2YIYyhFIZx pic.twitter.com/2MmTMwD9bK
The release further clarified that the agreement will become active “only after its ratification by the Senate and the establishment of operational procedures, thereby guaranteeing Belize’s full compliance with its constitutional and international obligations.”
According to the Ministry’s statement, the “initial period of validity will be two years, and it can be terminated by either party.”
The Central American nation’s authorities will maintain oversight of the volume of migrants they accept and will also manage the specific individuals admitted. They will further regulate the annual intake of asylum requests.
In response, the U.S. Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs posted a message on the social media platform X, thanking Belize for signing the accord.
The office noted in a tweet that a “Safe Third Country Agreement is a significant milestone toward ending illegal immigration, stopping the abuse of our nation’s asylum system, and reinforcing our shared commitment to confront our hemisphere’s challenges together.”
Thank you to the Government of Belize for signing a Safe Third Country Agreement – an important milestone in ending illegal immigration, shutting down abuse of our nation's asylum system, and reinforcing our shared commitment to tackling challenges in our hemisphere together.
— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) October 20, 2025
Belize joins four other nations in the region such as El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama, that have signed similar arrangements to receive migrants. Beyond the Americas, African countries including Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda have also received deportees under the Donald Trump administration.
This is not the first instance of the Trump administration pursuing such agreements. Between 2019 and 2020, it secured Asylum Cooperation Agreements (ACAs) with governments of Central America’s Northern Triangle. These pacts were effectively rescinded in 2021 when Joe Biden assumed the presidency.
The Guatemalan government under Jimmy Morales previously reported that under the ACA framework, over 700 salvadoran and honduran nationals were deported through Guatemala alone.
Paraguay also signed on in August
Another country that entered into a safe third country agreement with the United States was Paraguay, as per a press release published on the State Department’s official site on August 14.
The arrangement was concluded between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez. This understanding between the two nations reaffirmed that asylum seekers currently in the United States “will have the opportunity to process their protection claims in Paraguay,” Rubio stated in a press release.
Featured image credit:
Image: Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, and the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Katharine Beamer.
Author: Ministry of Foreign affairs
Source: Ministry of Foreign affairs
