By Rev. Pastor Vonnie E James, JP, Public Theologian (Grenada)
Introduction
Immigration policies that restrict entry based on nationality raise profound questions of justice, security, and human dignity. The December 16, 2025, U.S. proclamation limiting entry from Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, citing national security concerns, warrants scrutiny. This analysis examines empirical data on crime rates among individuals of Antiguan and Dominican origin in the United States compared to U.S.-born citizens, evaluates the security features of these nations’ Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs, and assesses the ethical, moral, and legitimate grounds for such restrictions. Drawing on criminological research and ethical frameworks, it argues that available evidence does not support blanket nationality-based restrictions.
Crime Rate Comparison: Immigrants from Antigua and Barbuda/Dominica vs. U.S.-Born Citizens
Comprehensive studies consistently demonstrate that immigrants in the United States, including those from Caribbean nations, exhibit lower crime rates than native-born citizens. Nationwide analyses reveal that immigrants are incarcerated at rates significantly below those of U.S.-born individuals (Nowrasteh, 2025; Light et al., 2020). For instance, undocumented immigrants have conviction rates 26–61% lower than native-born Americans for serious crimes like homicide (Nowrasteh, 2024).
Specific data on nationals from Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are limited due to their small diaspora populations, but aggregated Caribbean immigrant statistics align with broader trends. Caribbean immigrants, as a group, show lower incarceration and conviction rates compared to native-born Americans (American Immigration Council, 2024). No credible studies identify elevated crime rates among Antiguan or Dominican nationals; in contrast, general immigrant populations are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born individuals (Abramitzky et al., 2021).
These findings contradict claims of heightened security risks from these nationalities. Criminological research attributes lower immigrant crime rates to self-selection (motivated, risk-averse migrants), community ties, and deportation fears (Light et al., 2020). Absent evidence of disproportionate criminality among Antiguan or Dominican-origin individuals, nationality-based restrictions lack empirical legitimacy.
Security Features of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica CBI Programs
Citizenship by Investment programs in Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica incorporate robust due diligence to mitigate security risks. Both require mandatory background checks, including Interpol, World-Check, and third-party vetting by international firms (Investment Migration Council, 2021). Antigua and Barbuda mandates certified documents, police certificates, and fees for enhanced checks (US$7,500–$8,500 for main applicants) (Citizenship by Investment Unit, 2025a). Dominica introduced mandatory interviews in 2024 and multi-layered vetting, with fees of US$7,500 for primary applicants (Citizenship by Investment Unit, Dominica, 2025b).
These processes exceed many standard visa requirements, rejecting applicants with criminal records or suspicious funds (CS Global Partners, 2025). Independent audits affirm their integrity, with rejection rates for high-risk applicants demonstrating proactive risk management (RIF Trust, 2024). Thus, CBI participants from these countries undergo scrutiny that often surpasses that of other visa categories, undermining claims of inherent security threats.
Ethical, Moral, and Legitimate Arguments Against Nationality-Based Restrictions
Nationality-based immigration restrictions raise serious ethical concerns. Philosophically, such policies violate principles of equal moral worth, discriminating on arbitrary grounds of birth rather than individual merit or risk (Carens, 2013). They echo historical exclusions rooted in racial or ethnic prejudice, conflicting with human rights norms (United Nations, 1948).
Morally, blanket bans contradict biblical imperatives to welcome strangers (Leviticus 19:34; Matthew 25:35–40) and principles of hospitality central to Christian ethics. Collective punishment of entire nationalities for hypothetical risks denies individual dignity and presumes guilt by association — a violation of justice (Wellman & Cole, 2011).
Legitimately, restrictions require proportionate, evidence-based justification. Absent data showing higher criminality among Antiguan or Dominican nationals (Nowrasteh, 2025), such measures fail tests of necessity and non-discrimination under international law (United Nations Human Rights Committee, 2019). Robust CBI due diligence further negates security rationales.
Conclusion
Empirical evidence reveals no elevated crime rates among individuals of Antiguan or Dominican origin compared to U.S.-born citizens; indeed, immigrant rates are consistently lower. CBI programs in these nations feature stringent vetting, enhancing rather than compromising security. Ethically, morally, and legitimately, nationality-based restrictions lack justification, risking discrimination and undermining human dignity. Policy should prioritize individual assessment over collective stigma, fostering inclusion consistent with justice and evidence.
References
Abramitzky, R., Ager, P., Boustan, L. P., Cohen, E., & Hansen, C. W. (2021). The effect of immigration restrictions on crime: Evidence from the 1920s quota acts. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series.
American Immigration Council. (2024). Debunking the myth of immigrants and crime. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/debunking-myth-immigrants-and-crime/
Carens, J. H. (2013). The ethics of immigration. Oxford University Press.
Citizenship by Investment Unit, Antigua and Barbuda. (2025a). Due diligence requirements. https://cip.gov.ag
Citizenship by Investment Unit, Dominica. (2025b). Enhanced due diligence measures.
CS Global Partners. (2025). Citizenship by investment due diligence. https://csglobalpartners.com
ECLAC. (2024). Economic survey of Latin America and the Caribbean. United Nations.
Investment Migration Council. (2021). Due diligence in residence and citizenship by investment.
Light, M. T., He, J., & Robey, J. P. (2020). Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(51), 32340–32347.
Nowrasteh, A. (2024). Illegal immigrant conviction rates in Texas. Cato Institute.
Nowrasteh, A. (2025). Immigrants have lower lifetime incarceration rates than native-born Americans. Cato Institute.
United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
United Nations Human Rights Committee. (2019). General comment on freedom of movement.
Wellman, C. H., & Cole, P. (2011). Debating the ethics of immigration: Is there a right to exclude? Oxford University Press.
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I read the first part and already see the writer have no clue or training in criminology, victimology, intelligence and analysis.
Taking steps to secure is not just based on crime rate (already told ABLP to stop that nonsense about Antigua and Barbuda is the safest place in the caribbean nonsense) but also based on risk assessment, whether their is a high possibility or available opportunities that pose a risk (that are not being mitigated). It is not simply about how much less the impact of crimes are on the community. Stupid way of analyzing risk there and here. This is the ignorance I constantly speak of.
The fact one is saying the risk is low or ignore the risk is clear evidence they are not taking any of the risk seriously. If you the US reads this ignorant article, then they would be justified even more to place harsher barrier on the United Islands of Antigua and Barbuda because the ignorant article here only shows you are not taking the risk to the US and your own people seriously.
Please for once let expert speak and you ABLP person stop this ignorance. You are bringing shame to the people of UIA&B.
I am not even reading another paragraph. There was literally 0 critical thinking in this article. We are dealing with national security Sir and international relationship between countries.
Your post justifies the executive order from the US president. I hope these are not the ignorance ABLP use in negotiation and providing assurance to the US because I would see why Antigua and Barbuda would be on the list.
Please tell Pompey this is how he should write and make references….ok….my….people?
WHAT THE HELL…! …PASTOR IN SECULARISM: …RESTRICTIONS WARRANTS SCRUTINY…?
PASTOR: ‘…SPIRITUALLY OFF COURSE: …SECULARLY DEVIATORY
***
Just reading the first two paragraphs suggested two things:
(i) ‘…PASTOR VONNIE SEEMED ‘… OFF-COURSE, SPIRITUALLY: and
(ii) ..ALSO SEEMED: SECULARLY DEVIATORY.’
***
WHY?
The ‘…US ANNOUNCED RESTRICTIONS,’ ON PERSONS POSSESSING AND TRAVELLING ON THE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: for
(i) ‘…ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: and
(ii) …COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA,’ reference no ‘…STATISTICAL DATA ON CRIME.’
***
FACT: HISTORICAL REFERENCE
The ‘…HISTORICAL REFERENCE’ HAS BEEN THE ‘…CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT (CBI):’
***
REASONABLE DRAWN INFERENCE:
While some intellectuals of superior or inferior, may have ‘…DRAWN REASONABLE INFERENCES,’ on other underlying motives:
(a) ‘…THE US COMMUNIQUE TO THE NATIONS CONCERNED: speaks
(b) …TWO FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES:
(i) ‘…NATIONAL SECURITY: and
(ii) …PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS.’
***
QUESTION:
CRIME BY NATIONALITY: …JUST WHERE IN HELL?
SO JUST: ‘…WHERE IN THE COMMUNIQUE: or
(b) ‘…IN HELL, PASTOR VONNIE WAS INSPIRED TO RAISE THE ISSUE OF CRIME BY NATIONALITY.’
THESE NATIONALS HAVE NOT BEEN ACCUSED: of
(i) ‘…ACTS OF CRIMINALITY: or
(ii) …TERRORISM.
***
JOHN: 3: 16
***
THE GOOD PASTOR ‘VONNIE,’ MAY HAVE, INSTEAD, WRITTEN ABOUT:
ii) ‘… THE HOLY SCRIPTURE: ‘…JOHN: 3: 16]: then
(ii) …SING: ‘…WE HAVE HEARD THE JOYFUL SONG.”.
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
IF SO, ‘…WARRANTS’ TO BE UNDER SCRUTINY,’ CONTINUE TO PREACH AND SING, PASTOR VONNIE.
***
@RAWLSTON POMPEY, well said. In fact I feel like it was an insult saying mere “well said”. I will make it better, brilliantly said.
WHAT THE HELL…! @PLEASE TELL POMPEY: …DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU READ’
SO-CALLED ANALYSIS:
***
Likened to the author of the ‘…SO-CALLED ANALYSIS,’ the ‘…PLEASE TELL POMPEY…’ clearly this ‘…REPLIER DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HE READ.’
***
Likened to ‘…PARLIAMENTARIAN MARIA BIRD-BROWNE:
‘Ah ha! …Eee Bun Yoh’ (Vernacular).
***
THANKS MARIA: ‘…Mek som darn ting bun dis Replier, too.’
***
WHAT THE HELL:
***
MY WAY OF HELPING: …POINTED OUT
Now, ‘…MY WAY OF HELPING (MWOFH),’ clearly ‘…POINTS OUT’ the author’s shortcomings, and/or ‘…LACK OF TRAINING,’ in the disciplines so referred.
***
KEEP IT UP ‘…M.W.O.H: …BUN DIS REPLIER, TOO.’
***
A CBI in Antigua doesn’t give one a free pass to America, every citizen of this country, with the intent of traveling to the US, rich or poor must first apply to the US embassy and interview by an agent before the provision of a possible visa, so to say this issue arrived because of the CBI is questionable.
On the UN floor our government often exposed our closeness to Venezuela and Cuba in many of it’s speeches and we know how the US secretary of state feel about these two countries, plus the issue with medical assistance from Cuba, then previously there was an assumption that the US wanted to do a Base deal in Wadadli and was rejected, so this CBI is just a front.
Are they saying that all the other CBI across the world are clean and to their liking and how about the Gold Card?
Some people just love to chat chat chat. This administration have not shield the people of Antigua from criminals from other islands,like Jamaica, Haiti and the DR,much less to think that they can be trusted with their very pourous CBI.
Antigua has one of the most pourous immigration system in all of the Caribbean..facts..the Antigua Airways debacle proved that..over a 1000 unknown Africans came here and were just let loose in St johns..no vetting whatsoever. Some of them bailed on a boat and were drowned at sea.
Do we even know where the rest are to this day?
Criminals run here from Jamaica and the DR and commit vicious murders, and they are not even vetted when they show up at the airport.
So all this gnashing of teeth about what the US sees fit in protecting themselves is just pure foolish emotions.
These decisions are made on calculated intelligence.. brilliant people lock themselves in a room and profile criminals all over the world, that’s how these decisions are made.
This Antigua government has been too lackadaisical over the years about criminals just roaming free, and many have taken advantage of the slack immigration system we have here.
I don’t care if you are black brown or yellow, if you are a harden criminal, you’re not my friend.
So keep being ignorant to what is really going all you want, emotions won’t change the facts.
But the main reason USA is punishing A tigua is because a CBI have a loophole that without being resident of Antigua and Barbuda a person can become just a Citizen and get a passport without visiting the Isla.d..That is insane. Imagine some Imigrattion Person from USA receiving a plane from Qatar and and 5 people coming out of the plane and showing an Antigua Passport and they can’t answer in wich Parish you they over here? Their name is something similar of Muhama, or Salam or similar and they don’t even know where is Antigua located in a map and they are carring an Antigua Passport and they Are Citizen..Come on guys you can’t be so naive.
Just a reminder that the USA always has intelligence on the ground. They already know who poses risk.
Henry Kissinger Quotes,
“It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”
Antigua will soon feel how fatal it is to be a friend of America. Because as for America you are either a friend or an enemy. And that means their enemies should also be your enemies. And when it comes to Sovereignty, it’s only applicable if it aligns with America’s interest. If you dare to do things against their interest than to hell with your sovereignty. Again we were told lies about drug shipment and now the story comes out, it’s all about the oil. Chavez had kicked out Exxon and that will never be tolerated and accepted. Especially since China and Russia seem to be going into Venezuela. The same thing happened when Cuba kicked them out and nationalized all the companies they used to own. They then past a law called the Helms–Burton Act
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–114, 110 Stat. 785, 22 U.S.C. §§ 6021–6091 is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba.
And we see this embargo now going on for 60 years. And the whole world is SILENT.
My people, we seem to be missing a beat here. We are mud-slinging and sadly (as always) politicizing an issue that has nothing to do with our politics and everything to do with being from a black country unwilling to kiss the ring of a superpower. This decision was irrational, unjustified and without merit but so is the reasoning of said superpower. The blame game is pointless because this decision was made from the moment that man with his racist rhetoric made clear that he did not want immigration from “shi*hole countries.”
This is the long-standing agenda to stifle our economy until we bend to his will. All the data and analysis proves irrevocably that people from our country and countries like ours have been unfairly treated and will continue to be whilst this administration remains. The issue is that our country is considered insignificant due to the predominant race of our population and the fact that we are small island state. This will be the case for all small island states in very short order because it is the opinion that we should ‘know our place.’ Our options here are limited because no amount of diplomacy will change this standpoint. We have no oil to be stolen, no gold planes to offer or natural resources to pillage so we are left waiting until a change of the guard. My heart goes out to all who have plans and business affairs across the pond but considering we have all witnessed them herding their own citizens en mas for deportation, I’m not sure how anyone could believe that this decision was to do with anything else but money and racism. Perhaps this is the wake up call we needed to understand that the ‘American dream’ applies to the few and not the many and certainly does not apply to people who look like us. We need to think outside the box here and focus our attention on finding alternative sources for import, education and travel. Whilst we continue to argue amongst ourselves, opportunities are being missed. All the analysis on the world won’t change the hearts and minds of a racist wannabe dictator and his administration who had made their position known from the moment the re-election campaign was run. People wake up! Time to re-strategize!
@Less We Forget My dear friend. The reason USA put and Embargo on Cuba, is because Castro refuse to pay the compensation of the properties he nationalized from USA investors. Don’t even try to justify that. Castro was a thief and took all investment that Cubans and Foreigners did before 1958 without compensation. Only a few of them got little payments and not in base of the real value of the asset, was in base of what Castro government decided.
Let’s see it in this way. Imagine you and a partner from France build together 20 apartments to do Rentals business. Both of you invest 1 million USD each, 2 in total. Suddenly the Government of Antigua decided to nationalize private properties island wide to have full sovereignty of everything. They call you and tell you that your property will be part of this. They send a Realtor and say your property value is 1.5 million USD. You obviously will not agree with that, first you don’t want to sell, second the evaluation is not fair, because you have a proof that you spend 2 millions USD to build the property. Let’s say you don’t want drama and leave and decided to sell, you want at least the same 2 millions you spend. But they say they will give you 1.5 millions only and not in a one time payment, they will split the payment in a 20 year period.
That was the scenario that suffered all American citizens, Cuban and foreign investors that was living in Cuba back them. That’s why millions of Cubans hate Castro and that’s why USA put the Embargo on Cuba.
Chavez did the same but he pay, that’s why Venezuela didn’t have Embargo like Cuba, but then Castro jump in and started to bleed Venezuela resources. Cuba make Venezuela miserable, Maduro and his cabinet are the representation of the Dream of Pablo Escobar. Be the leader of a Country and have all resources to do wherever they want not what the majority of Venezuelans want. Millions and millions of Venezuelans leave the Country and my dear friend you think that was because Maduro government is good?
Please, send this piece to an AIGC detector before posting…
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