Last week, 7News told you about the hold at the Immigration Department on new citizen applications from Guatemalan Nationals. Well today, there was a new crop of Belizeans sworn in, and as expected it didn't include a single Guatemalan Applicant.
Immigration Minister, Godwin Hulse told us he was not satisfied with the renunciation process for Guatemalans. That country's constitution requires that a citizen who renounces must do so formally with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and turn in their Guatemalan passport. In the past, it would be done which just a renunciation form filled out in Belize - and now that is being regarded as inadequate. So today, 107 new citizens were sworn in as Belizeans, but there were no Guatemalans.
7News went to Belmopan to witness the ceremony, and here's what the Minister told those new citizens:
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration
"Today by the Mayan calendar should have been the end of a world. I a not sure was the end of the world and we chose the 21st with that in mind because was no accident that your world as you knew it as citizens of another nation ended yesterday and your new world begins today. Today marks a new beginning in all our your lives for today you will marry into a new society; the Belizean society and may I say that the last time I presided over the swearing in of new citizens I said to my officers let us say to the next group of citizens to be sworn in; please come ready to be married to this nation."
"This is a great privilege as Belizean citizenship is not for sale. We are one of the countries that do not sell our citizenship."
Anita Marie Smith, Newly sworn in Belizean
"It was wonderful, I cried, I am very proud."
Daniel Ortiz
"How long did you have to go through to get to become a citizen?"
Anita Marie Smith
"It was quick. I marry a Belizean, so I was on the fast track. It was only a couple of years."
Daniel Ortiz
"Why did you feel that you must acquire citizenship?"
Anita Marie Smith
"I live here. This is my country and I want to stay here forever. I want to vote and take part in the process."
Rev. Constantine Bernard Duncan, Newly sworn in Belizean
"I have been here since 1987 working in different church circuits in Belize and I felt it is time for me to become a full fledge Belizean. I have thought many students, I manage many schools, I have ministered too many of our Belizean people here and so I felt that it is time enough for me to become a Belizean and I feel so happy today that I am a Belizean."
Jane Peoples, Newly sworn in Belizean
"It's a pleasure and I am very proud to be Belizean now that I can maybe vote next year and so I thank the Belizean government."
Minister Hulse had to hastily leave to attend the impromptu Superbond press conference called by the Prime Minister, and as a result, we were unable to speak to him about his Ministry's current position on the Guatemalan applicants or the tens of thousands of Guatemalan Belizeans who did not - by this interpretation - properly renounce their citizenship.
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