The Antigua and Barbuda government is prepared to accept up to 10 third-country nationals, including refugees, from the United States each year, but only if Washington provides assurances that comprehensive background checks have been conducted and that all individuals possess valid travel documents.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his administration remains willing to cooperate with the United States on migration matters but will not do so at the expense of the country’s safety and security.
“One criminal element coming into our country can make a difference,” Browne said on his weekly radio programme.
“We also said to them that these persons must have travel documents because what happens sometimes is some of these immigrants who they detain, as soon as they get to the United States, they tear up the travel documents and we can’t have them come here as stateless individuals,” he added.
Browne said Antigua and Barbuda has made it clear to U.S. officials that any arrangement must protect the nation’s interests.
“We have said to them that, look, they have their issues and we want to help, we want to be a cooperative state, but cannot, let’s say, participate or agree to anything that is to our detriment,” he said.
In January, the government stated that it had not entered into any binding agreement with the United States to accept deportees or refugees. Officials said the only proposal under consideration was a non-binding memorandum of understanding put forward by Washington as part of its broader efforts to share responsibility for refugees already present in the United States.
At the time, the government said Antigua and Barbuda had been approached alongside more than 100 countries worldwide, including several member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Browne revealed that an earlier proposal reportedly involved Antigua and Barbuda accepting as many as 120 individuals without guarantees regarding assistance or proper vetting.
“At one point I’m told that they had asked us to accept as many as 120 individuals and there were no guarantees, no guaranteed assistance, no guaranteed due diligence, and I said to them that that is totally unacceptable,” he said.
The prime minister said discussions with the U.S. State Department remain ongoing and that his government is awaiting a response to its concerns.
“That matter remains unresolved in the sense that we have not heard from the State Department as yet,” Browne said.
He stressed that his administration is not seeking confrontation with Washington and remains committed to maintaining strong bilateral relations.
“We’re not promoting any hostility with the United States. We want to maintain good relations with the U.S., but they have to understand that we have to defend our national interests. We’re a small, powerless and very vulnerable country,” he said.
Last month, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis announced that it had accepted its first group of U.S.-transferred third-country deportees under a bilateral arrangement with Washington. The government said three CARICOM nationals from Jamaica and Belize arrived under the programme involving individuals accused of immigration violations.
Browne reiterated that Antigua and Barbuda would not agree to any arrangement that could compromise the safety and security of the country.
“We have to defend our national interests,” he said.
