St. George MP Watts questions transparency, safeguards in proposed U.S. refugee arrangement
St. George MP Algernon Watts on Tuesday night delivered an extensive critique of the government’s proposed refugee and deportee arrangement with the United States, raising a series of questions about transparency, costs, social impact and national sovereignty during a virtual rally hosted by the United Progressive Party.
Watts said the government failed to provide a national briefing, a parliamentary statement or any form of public consultation before the arrangement was disclosed, arguing that the public only learned of it after the fact.
“We did not get a clear national briefing first. We did not get a parliamentary statement first. We did not get a consultation first,” Watts said. “What we got was a confession after the fact.”
Referring to the prime minister’s admission that correspondence with the U.S. State Department took place months earlier, Watts questioned why the matter was not disclosed sooner. “If you have to say it wasn’t supposed to be a secret, obviously it was handled like a secret,” he said. “You can’t hide it and then slide it.”
The St. George MP challenged government assurances that the arrangement would operate on a case-by-case basis, include a cap of 10 persons per year and exclude criminals. He argued that such assurances, without a written framework, offer little protection.
“A cap is not a plan. A slogan is not a safeguard,” Watts said. “Trust me, especially coming from a habitual liar, is not a national policy.”
Watts warned that decisions made without transparency erode public trust and create fear and division in small societies. “When decisions like these are made in back rooms, the first thing that collapses is trust,” he said. “When trust collapses, society becomes rumor-driven, fear-driven and divided.”
He repeatedly questioned how refugees or deportees would be accommodated and supported, asking who would bear the financial and social costs. “Where will these people be housed? Who will be paying the rent? Who is paying for the medical screening? Who is paying the long-term care if there are chronic conditions? Who is paying for counseling if there’s trauma involved?” Watts asked.
According to the MP, the lack of a clear plan would shift the burden onto ordinary citizens and public services. “When the government has no plan, the burden falls on you, the citizens,” he said. “The burden falls on our overstretched clinics, the overstretched social workers, the overstressed communities and the same working-class Antiguans who already can’t catch a break.”
Watts also questioned accountability if something goes wrong under the arrangement. “If something goes wrong, it won’t be handled in Washington,” he said. “It will be handled in Grays Farm, in Point, in Bendals, in St. John’s City, in St. George. It will be handled by our police and our hospital.”
He pressed further on responsibility, asking, “Who is responsible if someone slips through the net? Who is accountable if a mistake happens?”
Beyond immediate concerns, Watts warned about the long-term implications of precedent. Even if current limits are maintained, he said, future expansions could occur without public consent. “Once Antigua becomes a third-country option, mechanisms expand,” Watts said. “Exceptions multiply, and soon 10 becomes 20, 20 becomes 40, 40 becomes 80, and 80 becomes permanent.”
Watts linked the issue to broader concerns about Antigua and Barbuda’s relationship with the United States, noting recent U.S. visa restrictions and proposed visa bond requirements affecting Antiguans. “While Antiguans are being squeezed abroad, our government is telling us that we have to accept arrangements that can bring new pressures on us,” he said.
He called on citizens to demand full disclosure of the agreement, including draft memoranda, legal authority, costs and administrative responsibility. “Where is the full written agreement? Where is the legal framework? Who pays the full cost of the housing, the health care, the security, the administration?” Watts asked.
Watts also urged the government to commit in writing that no expansion of any cap would occur without public consultation and a parliamentary vote. He stressed that his position was not anti-migrant but focused on national interest.
“We are not anti-anybody. We are pro–Antigua and Barbuda,” he said. “Antigua and Barbuda is not a warehouse. It’s not a storage room. If you want our cooperation, earn our consent. Govern in daylight, not in secrecy.”
The MP ended his remarks by calling for what he described as an end to secretive decision-making, urging supporters to continue pressing for transparency and accountability.
