October 20, 2025

United States and Belize signed safe third-country agreement diverting asylum seekers

The United States and Belize signed a "safe third country" agreement on October 20, 2025, allowing the U.S. to transfer Central American and Caribbean asylum seekers to Belize to pursue protection claims there instead of in the U.S. The agreement's text was not made public and required ratification by Belize's Senate that November; the first deportation flight arrived July 10, 2026, carrying one Haitian asylum seeker.

Part of: Trump Administration Third-Country Deportation Program, Trump Administration Third-Country Deportations to Belize

Jurisdiction: Federal
Location: United States; destination Belize (Belmopan)

Abuses documented

Actors

On October 20, 2025, the United States and Belize signed an "Agreement For Cooperation Regarding The Examination Of Protection Requests" — a "safe third country" deal allowing the U.S. to transfer asylum seekers who are nationals of Central American countries (except Guatemala) or Caribbean Community member states to Belize to pursue their protection claims there instead of in the United States. Belize's government said it "retains an absolute veto over transfers, with restrictions on nationalities, a cap on transferees, and comprehensive security screenings," and the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs called the deal "an important milestone in ending illegal immigration, shutting down abuse of our nation's asylum system."

The agreement required ratification by Belize's Senate and an amendment to the country's Refugee Act before taking effect, a process completed that November. Belize's asylum system is extremely small — the country approved only about 500 of roughly 12,000 applicants under its 2022 amnesty program — raising doubts about its capacity to fairly process transferred claims. The deal is being challenged as part of the ongoing U.T. v. Bondi litigation over the legality of U.S. asylum-cooperative agreements more broadly.

Updates

2025-11 — Belize Senate ratified the agreement [3]

Belize's Senate ratified the safe third country agreement and the government completed the required amendment to the country's Refugee Act, the steps needed for the deal to take effect.

2026-03-11 — DHS published the agreement's previously undisclosed text [3, 4]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published the text of the Belize agreement, which had not been made public at signing. The published text bars transfer of unaccompanied minors and Belizean nationals or residents and sets an initial two-year term.

2026-07-10 — First deportation flight arrived in Belize [3]

The first flight under the agreement arrived in Belize carrying one Haitian asylum seeker.

2026-07-30 — Second deportation flight arrived in Belize [3]

A second deportation flight under the agreement arrived in Belize.

Why we recorded this

U.S. asylum law generally requires that a person seeking protection have their claim heard, or be sent only to a country genuinely able to provide full and fair protection screening. On October 20, 2025, the United States signed a "safe third country" agreement with Belize, whose asylum system approved barely 500 of 12,000 applicants under a recent amnesty program, without releasing the agreement's text publicly. Diverting asylum seekers to a country with a documented inability to process claims fairly substitutes diplomatic convenience for the individualized screening due process requires.

Sources

Belize Signs Safe Third Country Agreement With United States — Government of Belize, Ministry of Foreign Affairs primary accessed July 31, 2026
US and Belize sign 'safe third country' agreement for asylum seekers — Al Jazeera secondary accessed July 31, 2026
Belize — Third Country Deportation Watch (Refugees International / Human Rights First) investigative accessed July 31, 2026
United States and Belize sign safe third country agreement — Immigration Policy Tracking Project investigative accessed July 31, 2026