Antigua Will Not Accept Criminal Deportees, PM Says
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Saturday that Antigua and Barbuda has drawn firm limits in its dealings with the United States, rejecting claims by political opponents that the government agreed to accept criminal deportees.
Speaking on his Browne and Browne radio programme, Browne said opposition figures were spreading false information about a memorandum of understanding with the United States.
“I find that our political opponents, you know, they’re trying to suggest that we have agreed to take criminal deportees. There’s no such thing,” Browne said .
Browne said the government instructed Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States to make the country’s position clear after concerns arose that deportees could include criminals.
“I then instructed Sir Ron to write to the State Department to indicate that we will cooperate. However, Antigua and Barbuda cannot accommodate criminal refugees,” he said.
“If the United States can’t handle them, how are we going to handle them? They will destabilize our country,” Browne added .
The prime minister said the government entered into a memorandum of understanding that limits what Antigua and Barbuda would be expected to do, while also restricting public disclosure of the document.
“We have an MOU with the U.S. and we understand that, look, when it comes to refugees,” Browne said, adding that the agreement itself cannot be published.
“The agreement that we have with the United States is that we ought not to publish the agreement, so we will certainly keep to that commitment,” he said.
Browne said he nonetheless felt obligated to explain the government’s position to the public.
“I am duty bound to at least tell our people what is in that agreement,” he said.
He said a letter sent to U.S. officials in August 2025 also raised broader regional concerns.
“A wider plea for the Caribbean, indicating to them that already many Caribbean countries are struggling with crime and violence,” Browne said, warning that accepting criminal deportees would “clearly… destabilize our countries” .
Browne said the government would continue diplomatic engagement but rejected what he described as attempts to mislead the public about the country’s commitments.
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GASTON BROWNE SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!
NOBODY WANT TO HEAR YOU.
YOU ARE A TOTAL FAILURE.
Shame on you! You traded soverienity for visas
BROWNE, GET OUT NOW!!!
Your credibility has been shot to pieces. You’ve had your feet, your toes, your hands and fingers in too many political camps, and now because of your incompetence (and not forgetting your Cabinet Ministers complicit silence) Antigua finds itself compromised on all fronts and in a mess.
If you tell the country what “secret” arrangements you made about the deportees and refugees coming here, it may save you from Chet Greene eventually replacing you.
But we already know that transparency and accountability isn’t your Modus Operandi.
I don’t doubt that you denied the US GB, actually I said that in a post yesterday before you even came out with this today, or maybe you are just following my comments way too closely.lol.
Anyway that’s not the point.
The point is, is that I also know the reasons you denied the US on this and other request that Trump put forward, and that’s what have us here.
You denied the US for personal and selfish reasons. You were banking on your Chinese relationship, you weee banking on Maduro staying in power, and your money tree with your oil money continues to grow.
That’s the reason you have denied the US.
Not because you are some great patriot, because you’re not.
I wouldn’t have accepted refugees either, so I have no problem with that, but you playing every side and then trying to play slick with it, is what got us here.
Trump found out your dirty deeds, and since he doesn’t have too much time to bother with a small pittance like you, he just came down on Antigua big time.
Then you try and act like you were caught off guard and play stupid about this entire thing.
You denied Trump in everyway, fine, but when he dig deep and found out this joker is playing every side, he hit you where it hurts, our Visa’s.
And trust me, that hit hard for us Antiguan’s.
That’s a big body blow. And now we are left with nothing. Where are the Chinese? You see how quiet they are about entire thing?
China knows that their political policies do not were in the Caribbean, so they are just happy that greedy idiots like you are willing to work with them for the right price, so would not hear a pin drop from them, and rightfully so.
You’re too damn slick, that’s your problem.
I always said you are a two bit swindler, and I’m dead right about that. Your loud mouth will continue to also get us in trouble, because you just can’t shut up for once.
I’m always right about you, and twice on Sundays.
This man is a joker. When the Imperialist drop the deportees they drop who they want to drop.
The US State department under Rubio is a lying machine.
They deported one Jamaican man to Estawani former Swaziland and claimed Jamaica did not want to take him back . The truth is he had committed crimes spent years in prison and had reformee, Got a Masters and was a model prisoner. Based on recommendations he was released home and was doing well . One day ice picked him up and shipped him straight to Africa.
The Foreign ministry in Jamaica was not contacted, but they got him back to Jamaica.
The point is PM has no control who the US deports if they have a so called agreement. He must develop a backbone and say he will only accept Antiguan deportees
If these so call deportes have no criminal history,why is it the countries of their birth refusing to take them? How can the antiguan authorities really prove they ain’t criminals? You guys think we all drink the kool- aid? You said the opposition is misleading the public on the visa issues and what they are saying isn’t fact,but you still turn around and said you do not know why the united states made the decision. So you know what the opposition is saying isn’t the truth, when you have no idea the reason why? Lord have mercy!
Things were going well and then Trump’s like wait a min Venezuela is getting outta hand time to show this hemisphere who runs this show….Boom the US captures Maduro and then starts flexing on anyone out of line including Antigua & Barbuda which led to suspended VISA issue and all of a sudden boom Gaston taking refugees from US……..It looks a kinda way
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