The Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda in Washington, D.C., has written to Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, concerning legislation she introduced in the United States House of Representatives on 15 July entitled the Third World Immigration Moratorium Act. The proposed legislation includes Antigua and Barbuda among 40 countries that would be subject to broad immigration restrictions.
In his letter to Representative Mace, copied to several high-ranking members of the House, Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders, said that while Antigua and Barbuda fully respects the right of a Member of House to propose legislation on immigration policies, it believes that any proposed measures affecting friendly countries, should be informed by accurate information and objective facts.
Ambassador Sanders advised Representative Mace that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has repeatedly advised the United States Government that the statement made about Antigua and Barbuda in Presidential Proclamation 10998 is factually incorrect. The Proclamation states that Antigua and Barbuda “has historically had Citizenship by Investment without residency.” The Ambassador pointed out that Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme has always included a residency requirement and that this has been formally communicated to the United States Government on several occasions.
Ambassador Sanders also drew attention to a drafting error in the proposed legislation, which refers separately to “Antigua” and “Barbuda” as though they were two independent countries. The Ambassador pointed out that Antigua and Barbuda is a single sovereign State. He said that “the error illustrates the importance of ensuring that legislation affecting friendly nations is founded upon accurate and verified information”.
He also challenged the listing of Antigua and Barbuda in the same category as several countries facing armed conflict, prolonged economic instability or large-scale irregular migration. Ambassador Sanders stressed that Antigua and Barbuda is an upper-middle-income country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean. It is a stable parliamentary democracy founded upon the rule of law, with an independent judiciary and democratic institutions that have earned the confidence of its citizens and international partners alike.
Addressing the implication that Antigua and Barbuda presents immigration or security concerns comparable to those of the other countries listed in the proposed legislation, the Ambassador said that “The relationship between Antigua and Barbuda and the United States is longstanding and mutually beneficial. United States citizens travel to Antigua and Barbuda without visas, many own homes and businesses in the country, and American investment has long been welcomed and protected under Antigua and Barbuda’s laws. The two countries cooperate closely in security, law enforcement, disaster response, education, tourism, trade and investment”
He added that the movement of people between Antigua and Barbuda and the United States has, for decades, been orderly and lawful. He also noted that no citizen of Antigua and Barbuda has ever sought refugee status in the United States, that visa overstays have traditionally remained at little more than one per cent, and that Antigua and Barbuda has consistently cooperated with United States immigration authorities in accepting the prompt return of its nationals who are lawfully removed.
Ambassador Sanders concluded his letter by inviting Representative Mace to reconsider the inclusion of Antigua and Barbuda in the proposed legislation and to ensure that any future consideration of measures affecting the country is informed by accurate and current information.
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