Prime Minister Gaston Browne has pushed back against Antigua and Barbuda’s inclusion in a draft U.S. travel restriction proposal, stating, “I can’t tell the United States what to do, but any reasonable person would recognize that Antigua and Barbuda is not a threat to the U.S. and we have been very cooperative.”
Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, he added, “We will not promote acrimony with the U.S., but we will stand on principle to defend our sovereignty and our people.”
The New York Times reported that Antigua and Barbuda is listed in the “yellow tier,” giving it 60 days to address security concerns—such as passport security, information-sharing, and citizenship sales—or face possible restrictions. Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia are also included.
The draft proposal lists 43 countries across three tiers. Haiti is in the “orange tier,” facing sharp restrictions, while Cuba is the only Caribbean nation in the “red tier,” meaning its citizens would be entirely barred from entering the U.S. The final policy is yet to be approved by the White House.
