A 24-year-old Honduran mother of four, all of whom live in Honduras, was in court on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 on an immigration offense. Evelyn Roxanne Alonzo Cruz is accused of failing to comply with a visitor’s permit. Immigration officers say that they are not certain how long Cruz was living in Belize illegally since she had no passport or other form of documents to show on demand. When Cruz appeared unrepresented before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford, she pleaded guilty to the offense. She begged the court for leniency, saying that she is a single mother of four and had only come to Belize to seek employment. She was fined $1,000 to be paid forthwith but because she was unable to, she was sentenced to six months in prison. At the end of that prison time, she will be sent back to Honduras.
