Mexican Vendors Fined and Deported After Immigration Violation

What began as a sales tour across several Central American countries ended with court proceedings and deportation for two Mexican nationals in Belize City. Fifty-two-year-old Ramon Lara Suarez and thirty-two-year-old Crispin Suarez Suarez, both vendors from Pueblo, Mexico, appeared before a Senior Magistrate on Wednesday, charged with failing to produce a valid permit to an Immigration Officer upon demand. According to reports, the cousins were initially detained by Customs Officers at a checkpoint in Belize City while traveling in a pickup truck carrying a quantity of ornaments they were reportedly selling. Although no Customs charges were brought against the pair in relation to the goods, authorities later discovered that the vehicle they were driving was not registered in either of their names. The men were subsequently handed over to police and later to the Immigration Department, where officials requested documentation authorizing their stay in Belize. Investigations revealed that neither man was able to provide the required immigration documents, resulting in the charges. In court, both men pleaded guilty to the offense. The Senior Magistrate imposed a fine of one thousand dollars each, along with five dollars in court costs, to be paid immediately. In default of payment, they would have faced six months imprisonment. The Belize Immigration Department also applied for the removal of both men from the country. That application was granted by the court. Authorities say the cousins paid their fines forthwith, and arrangements were immediately made for their removal from Belize. They were escorted to the Mexican border and released to return to their home country. During interviews with Immigration officials, the men reportedly stated that they had entered Belize between five and seven days earlier while traveling through the region selling ornaments. They told authorities their journey had taken them from Mexico through Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua before arriving in Belize.