Naturalized citizens of Antigua and Barbuda who are involved in serious crimes face the risk of deportation and loss of their citizenship.
This was announced by Attorney General Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin who noted that changes will be made to the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship Act.
Persons who have resided in Antigua and Barbuda for seven unbroken, consecutive years are entitled to become citizens of the country, and receive all the benefits like those who were born here. Individuals can also obtain citizenship through investment, descent and marriage.
Benjamin said crime is becoming a serious problem and in order to protect the people, those individuals found to be involved in serious illicit activities will be booted from the country, despite having been granted citizenship.
He said once the prime minister is satisfied that a person is a threat to national security, the appropriate steps will be taken to revoke their citizenship status and send them back to their country of birth.
“I saw a list and the PM saw a list too where persons were sent back to Antigua from the States and other countries who committed offences there. We want to make it clear that if any naturalised citizen or registered citizen by registration is deported and come back to Antigua having committed crimes over there, you too fall prey to the same consideration. In other words, if you live in Antigua, you live for seven years consecutively and you qualify for citizenship, you receive citizenship and you leave Antigua and go to another country overseas and commit a crime over there and sent back here, you gone back to your country as well. So we want you to understand that that also is in the offering. We want to make certain that we protect this country,” Benjamin said.
The prime minister disclosed in Parliament yesterday that at least two people have been deported back to their country of birth and four others will be declared persona non grata and returned to their country as well.
Head of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Joanne Massiah recently made a call for the country’s open door policy to Caricom nationals to be reviewed taking into account the recent upsurge in violent crimes.
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Exactly Mr Benjamin…when they received antiguan citizenship by inveztment or marriage leave antigua and go America England n Canada …deport dem bacl to whence they originally came from …also it makes ANTIGUA look even smaller in these countries and most of ALL ….MAKE ANTIGUA LOOK MORE CORRUPTED ISLAND ..AND CLOSED TJEIR DOIRS TO US FOR USA VISA …LOIK WHAT CANADA DID…now we need a visa to go there …they making it worse for us
CLOSE THIS OPEN DOOR POLICY OF CARIBBEAN CITIZENSHIP……
LIKE I SAID IN A PRIOR CO.MENT
JAMAICANS N GUYANA NEED TO SUBMIT THEIR PASSPIRT PICE REPIRT N BANK STATEMENT b4 entering antigua who de hell bec drop dead n who want rally back shows how much of a cow9they will be IF she ever took office
God forbid
Jamaicans& Guyanese especially need to submit their passport
Dated police report
Bank statement
Names of persons who they have intentions of staying with
Before gaining entry into ANTIGUA ….
Mr Benjamin continue making it harder n harder for them
Its about time ….
And push it from 7yrs to 10yrs
Be nice, teh hurricane season is still on.
If it’s one time I will back the prime minister is with this great news because for too long it’s been happening and nothing is being done. I commend you sir
I agree and he must look on’t those wicked employer who also receive passport and are treating national like garbage they need to lose theirs and go back l to theirs country as well.
Full time it seen like the government start to hear now if u come to live in my country behave yr self dont follow the antiguan people and do wrong because only one place antiguan can go is jail and back on the street no were else but all other none imgrant going back home and there is were the cry water will come on yr all face didnt u see what happen to the jamaican woman son the sending him back to ja and his mother talking she is taking the government to court he go him self in gun crime and stealing who is she to come here and talking about taking government to court they should send her back to it seen like she get some of what he steal because if she is defending her son so much she is apart of it simple
Come ya fe drink milk yu no com ya fe count cow any harsh wrong committed back home thumbs up for that Mr Benjamin
Wonde
It would appear as though it’s only foreigners that commit crime in Antigua. What punishment will be handed down to the Antiguan born criminals?. This is not a very effective means of curbing crime. These days with what’s going on Antiguan Citizenship isn’t a privilege to have anymore. They already lost the visa free travel to Canada, which by the way wasn’t because of any Caribbean national whats next European visa free travel?!. Antiguans need to get a hold of themselves. If all the foreigners were to call in sick a day the entire country shut down. Sitting and bickering how foreigners came and took their employment isn’t going to solve anything. Get up off your asses and get yourself qualified so that the country isn’t forced to seek employees outside. This is why the Caribbean will always punish because all we do is discriminate against each other while the larger nations continue to shit on us. We in the Caribbean need to realize that all it takes is for one little hurricane to sweep thru and life as we know it is no longer. I wonder if Antigua was hit by Irma or Maria what would Antiguans do.
God bless the people of Dominica, may they recover fast. My wonderful country has 120 soldiers on ground as we speak. To confirm what you said. On the Dominican newspaper, they used to have a field day against Jamaicans and others, look what one hurricane did. One night of natural terror. Look what happened to Monsterrat some years ago, became uninhabitable. People need to chill.
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