Parliament on Tuesday approved a resolution authorizing the government to continue negotiations with the United States over the possible transfer of third-country nationals while establishing a 12-point framework that gives Antigua and Barbuda complete discretion over whether any individual is accepted.
The resolution, tabled by Prime Minister Gaston Browne after a day-long debate, makes clear that Parliament has not approved any agreement with the United States and has not authorized the transfer of any individual. Instead, it empowers the government to continue negotiations within strict conditions designed to protect the country’s sovereignty, national security, legal obligations and financial interests.
Among the principles approved by lawmakers, the government is authorized to continue discussions with Washington in a spirit of friendship and cooperation while giving full regard to Antigua and Barbuda’s sovereignty, laws, security, absorptive capacity and national interests.
The resolution rejects any standing, automatic or open-ended programme under which the United States could transfer predetermined numbers of third-country nationals to Antigua and Barbuda. Instead, every proposed transfer must receive the government’s prior approval and be assessed individually.
It also provides that only the number of individuals the government determines the country can responsibly accommodate may be considered, taking into account public resources, national security, domestic and international law, available funding and the country’s absorptive capacity.
Before anyone can be accepted, the government must receive sufficient information regarding the individual’s identity and suitability, while written agreements must be in place covering documentation, funding, accommodation, legal status and long-term responsibility. The government also retains the right to refuse entry to any individual whose documentation is incomplete or inaccurate and require that person’s immediate return at no cost to Antigua and Barbuda.
The resolution further requires that all costs associated with any future arrangement—including accommodation, healthcare, security, administration and any onward movement or return—be paid through funding arrangements agreed in advance so that taxpayers bear no financial burden. It also preserves the government’s right to suspend or terminate any arrangement whenever it considers doing so necessary to protect the country’s sovereignty, security, laws or national interests.
Its final provision states that adoption of the resolution does not constitute parliamentary approval of any draft operating procedures currently under discussion with the United States and does not, by itself, authorize the transfer of any person to Antigua and Barbuda.
Presenting the resolution, Browne said it was intended to establish “clear principles and safeguards” while preserving Antigua and Barbuda’s ability to negotiate with the United States without compromising its independence.
“It affirms that Antigua and Barbuda retains complete sovereign discretion. It requires full vetting, full funding, complete documentation and clear legal status for any person who may be considered. It preserves our right to suspend or terminate any arrangement should circumstances warrant,” the prime minister said.
Browne argued that the government had sought to strike a balance between protecting Antigua and Barbuda’s sovereignty and maintaining an important bilateral relationship with the United States.
“We value our friendships, but we also value our independence and the quality of life of our people,” he said. “Cooperation must be fair. Cooperation has to be balanced and it must be consistent with our national interests.”
During the debate, Browne also reiterated that Antigua and Barbuda would rather face U.S. visa restrictions than agree to receive criminals.
“If we were faced with an option of not taking criminals and to have visa restrictions, we’ll go for the visa restrictions because accepting criminals will destroy our country,” he said, adding that the government’s proposal would only allow consideration of individuals whose sole offence involved immigration or visa violations.
The prime minister further disclosed that Antigua and Barbuda intends to seek up to US$75,000 for each individual accepted under any future arrangement, arguing that the country’s higher cost of living justifies greater financial support than reportedly offered to other participating states.
Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin told Parliament that the resolution should not be interpreted as approval of a final agreement because none currently exists.
“The White Paper is not presented as a complete agreement, nor is this House being asked to approve a conclusive operating agreement. None exists,” Benjamin said.
He said Parliament’s role was to establish the principles under which the Executive may negotiate while leaving the detailed negotiations to the government.
Benjamin also revealed that Antigua and Barbuda accepted five of its own nationals deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between March 2025 and June 2026, saying that obligation differs fundamentally from accepting citizens of another country.
“Every nation has a duty to receive its own citizens,” he said, noting that no similar obligation exists regarding third-country nationals.
Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene defended the government’s decision to engage Washington, arguing that listening to a proposal should not be mistaken for accepting it.
“We engage because responsible governments do,” Greene said. “They do not make important decisions in ignorance. They do not refuse to listen before they know what is being proposed. And they do not confuse engagement with agreement.”
Greene said Antigua and Barbuda rejected key elements of the original U.S. proposal because they failed to adequately protect the country’s interests. Rather than ending discussions, he said, the government submitted extensive counterproposals that narrowed the categories of persons who could be considered, reduced proposed numbers, strengthened documentation requirements and required the United States to assume all financial obligations.
“That is not capitulation. That is negotiation. That is the essence, the true form, of diplomacy,” Greene said.
He also praised Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, for leading negotiations in Washington under the direction of Prime Minister Browne, saying Sanders had firmly defended the country’s legal, financial and security interests throughout the discussions.
Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez urged Parliament to consider the broader economic implications of the negotiations, saying the government could not ignore the country’s dependence on the United States as its principal tourism market.
Fernandez noted that tourism accounts for approximately 60 to 65 percent of Antigua and Barbuda’s gross domestic product and warned that any deterioration in relations with Washington could have severe economic consequences.
“If we lose our tourism, 60, 65 percent of GDP [would go] down the drain,” he said.
Describing the issue as “a balancing act,” Fernandez said the government was seeking an agreement that protects the country’s dignity and sovereignty while safeguarding the tourism industry and the thousands of livelihoods that depend upon it.
Not all members were persuaded.
Barbuda MP Trevor Walker argued that Antigua and Barbuda was negotiating from a position of weakness because of existing U.S. visa restrictions and questioned whether the country possessed sufficient leverage.
“Antigua and Barbuda don’t have no cards,” Walker said, while calling for broader public consultation and a unified CARICOM position on the issue. He also questioned why Parliament had been presented with an unsigned memorandum rather than an executed agreement and urged the government to explain the circumstances surrounding U.S. visa restrictions affecting Antiguans and Barbudans.
Government members rejected those criticisms, maintaining that negotiations had already resulted in significant revisions to the original U.S. proposal and that the resolution gives Antigua and Barbuda a clear parliamentary mandate while preserving complete sovereign control over any future decision.
With the resolution now adopted, the Browne administration has authority to continue negotiations with the United States, but any future arrangement must remain consistent with the 12 principles approved by Parliament, including case-by-case approval, complete government discretion, full U.S. funding, written legal safeguards and the continued right of Antigua and Barbuda to reject, suspend or terminate any agreement whenever it determines doing so is in the national interest.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
