The Nation continues to reel from this week’s White House unprecedented travel ban on most of Antigua and Barbuda’s nationals and citizens, who are now further confused by the mixed messages coming from Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Ambassador to Washington Sir Ronald Sanders.
While the White House Proclamation clearly identifies the classes of current visas that will be suspended, as of January 1, 2026, Prime Minister Browne has sought to water down US President Donald Trump’s statement with Facebook posts that have not been substantiated.
“This is just another display of the Prime Minister’s high-handedness – which is what landed us in this predicament in the first place,” says Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle. “Arrogantly, he ignored the signs and dismissed the outright warnings of what was to come, boasting that it ‘could never happen.’
“Yet, today, Antiguans and Barbudans stand singled out, humiliated, and punished for the Prime Minister’s tone-deafness, while most other Caribbean citizens continue to enjoy access to the United States. This is not coincidence. This is consequence,” Pringle states.
He reminds the public that the UPP repeatedly sounded alarms about the systematic dismantling of safeguards in our Citizenship by Investment Programme and the dangerous erosion of border security under the Browne Administration. And he recounts that:
- The UPP warned the Browne Administration when Canada, our longtime friend, revoked visa-free access and the European Union voiced its concerns about security.
- The UPP expressed its dismay when it was discovered that our passports were being illegally manufactured in St. Vincent & the Grenadines – outside the proper oversight of the Citizenship by Investment Unit.
- We spoke out against granting passports to individuals trading contraband on the Dark Web and to Chinese nationals wanted for alleged bank fraud.
- And we predicted dire consequences for the creation of the phantom “Antigua Airways” that facilitated over 900 West Africans (initially claimed by the Prime Minister to be “wealthy investors”) being landed here – and then making their way stealthily into US territories.
“Every single one of these security breaches – and others – occurred under Prime Minister Browne’s watch,” the Opposition Leader points out.“Every single warning from the Opposition was met with dismissiveness, denial, or deflection. We called for investigations and even a Commission of Inquiry, and the Administration responded with contempt.”
Now, the UPP notes, the bill has come due, and it is ordinary Antiguans and Barbudans –students pursuing education abroad; longstanding businesspeople and entrepreneurs; patients seeking medical treatment; and families hoping to visit loved ones – who will pay the price for this Administration’s incompetence, arrogance, and diplomatic failures.
It appears that there are other consequences, as well, including the replacement of the Cuban Medical Brigade with practitioners from Ghana – with no rationale, no preparation, and no reassurances to those who fund and depend on the public healthcare system.
“The people deserve honest answers about how this Administration allowed our nation to become the target of US visa restrictions. We demand information on what is actually required to remedy this situation – which affects not only individuals and businesses, but the economy, as CIP revenues have been figured into the 2026 Budget,” MP Pringle says.
“Antiguans and Barbudans deserve a government that takes international warnings seriously. They deserve leaders who engage proactively with international partners rather than scrambling with last-minute damage control after disaster strikes,” the Opposition Leader concludes. “They deserve a Prime Minister who accepts responsibility rather than deflecting blame.”
The UPP assures the nation, including members of the Diaspora, that it stands ready to work toward reversing this visa ban and restoring Antigua and Barbuda’s international standing. But that work must begin with Prime Minister Browne acknowledging his Administration’s failures, as only genuine accountability can begin to repair the damage.
