Honduran Man Jailed After Traffic Stop Leads to Immigration Charge

A routine traffic stop in Belize City has led to a six-month prison sentence for a Honduran national who was found to be in the country illegally.  Thirty-eight-year-old Jayron Yanin Medina Mejia, a welder who told the court he has been living in Camalote Village, Cayo District, for about two months, was taken into custody on Friday, after police observed him riding a bicycle against the flow of traffic on Vernon Street.  Following his detention, he was handed over to the Immigration Department. Officers requested that he present a valid visitor’s permit, but he was unable to do so. He claimed his documents had been stolen. However, checks conducted through official systems revealed no record of his legal entry into Belize.  He was subsequently charged with failing to present a visitor’s permit to an immigration officer on demand.  When he appeared before a Senior Magistrate Medina Mejia pleaded guilty to the immigration offense and was fined one thousand dollars plus court cost. The court ordered that the fine be paid immediately, with a default sentence of six months imprisonment. Unable to pay, he was remanded to serve that time.  In a separate appearance before the Traffic Court, Medina Mejia also pleaded guilty to riding a bicycle contrary to the flow of traffic. However, the Magistrate dismissed that charge, and no penalty was imposed for the traffic violation.  While he avoided punishment on the traffic matter, the immigration offense carries the heavier consequence. Authorities have indicated that upon completion of his sentence, Medina Mejia is expected to be deported from Belize.