PM Briceno: No Major Changes Expected in U.S.-Belize Relations Under Trump

Prime Minister John Briceno says that he does not think much will change for Belize’s relationship with the United States, once President-Elect Donald Trump takes office next year. Trump won a decisive victory in the elections on November 5, raising major concern for many countries in the region due to his policies on issues such as migration. The Prime Minister says that Belize extended congratulations not long after his victory and he responded to concerns of Trump’s proposed immigration policies. 

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “The very day that he won, well it was announced in the night, the following morning we did send out a note of congratulation President Elect Trump. As you know that the United States is our biggest partner and most important partner we have always worked very closely with them. I don’t foresee any major changes for us because well of short of the MCC compact that has just been signed we believe that we are going to continue to strengthen the relationship between both countries.”

Reporter: What’s your thoughts on this mass deportation policy ? Trouble for Belizean ? 

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Absolutely not. We ned workers. So if they bring back Belizeans to Belize we need workers. But again the American people in their wisdom decided to vote for a man that says he is going to do mass deportations. We may not agree with the voters but we have to respect the wishes of the voters.”

Briceno did say that the Foreign Service will see some changes, as Ambassadors are appointed for the life of the administration that appointed them. 

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “It’s important to point out that ambassadors are appointed for the life of the government. So all American ambassadors are going to resign on the day that he takes over or the day before, something to that effect and then he then decides whether he’s going to appoint, if he’s going to keep any or not. There are a number of career diplomats that are ambassadors, those who would stay. If they don’t stay as ambassadors they would go back to the State Department and then they would appoint new ambassadors. Certainly for Belize it’s not a career diploma. So obviously, quite likely, Mr. Trump will pick somebody else. But back then Mr. Trump is not that he was not interested. It was that he was having a lot of problems in Congress and couldn’t get a lot of his nominations approved. And so he had to leave a chargé. I think it was the first year of the Biden presidency they had a chargé here, you know, two chargés which they did a pretty good job, they are professionals. So I do expect and hope that he would appoint an ambassador for Belize. Belize is a nice appointment. You could ask all the ambassadors, they all fall in love with Belize, the beauty of the country, and just as important or even more important, the people. We are warm people, we are friendly people, we’re happy people and they love being in Belize.”

US Ambassador to Belize, Michelle Kwan was appointed on October 7, 2022.