Honduran National Jailed After Failing to Pay Immigration Fine

A Honduran national has been sent to the Belize Central Prison after he was unable to pay a one-thousand-dollar fine for an immigration offence.  Twenty-five-year-old construction worker Franklin Estralin Guerra Jacinto appeared unrepresented before the Chief Magistrate in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. He pleaded guilty to failing to produce a valid permit when requested by an immigration officer.  Jacinto was fined one thousand dollars, along with five dollars in court costs. He was ordered to pay the amount immediately or serve six months in prison. When he was unable to pay, he was taken to the Belize Central Prison to serve the default sentence.  The charge followed Jacinto’s detention by police at the Raccoon Street Police Station on Sunday night. Immigration officers were called to the station and asked him to provide identification.  Jacinto reportedly produced a Honduran passport, but checks revealed that it did not contain an entry stamp for Belize. A search of the Migration Information and Data Analysis System also found no record of him entering the country legally.  According to immigration authorities, Jacinto admitted that he entered Belize through the Mopan River area near Benque Viejo del Carmen in October 2023 and had remained in the country since then.  He was subsequently informed of his irregular immigration status and charged.