The Nation continues to reel from this week’s White House unprecedented travel ban on most of Antigua and Barbuda’s nationals and citizens, who are now further confused by the mixed messages coming from Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Ambassador to Washington Sir Ronald Sanders.
While the White House Proclamation clearly identifies the classes of current visas that will be suspended, as of January 1, 2026, Prime Minister Browne has sought to water down US President Donald Trump’s statement with Facebook posts that have not been substantiated.
“This is just another display of the Prime Minister’s high-handedness – which is what landed us in this predicament in the first place,” says Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle. “Arrogantly, he ignored the signs and dismissed the outright warnings of what was to come, boasting that it ‘could never happen.’
“Yet, today, Antiguans and Barbudans stand singled out, humiliated, and punished for the Prime Minister’s tone-deafness, while most other Caribbean citizens continue to enjoy access to the United States. This is not coincidence. This is consequence,” Pringle states.
He reminds the public that the UPP repeatedly sounded alarms about the systematic dismantling of safeguards in our Citizenship by Investment Programme and the dangerous erosion of border security under the Browne Administration. And he recounts that:
- The UPP warned the Browne Administration when Canada, our longtime friend, revoked visa-free access and the European Union voiced its concerns about security.
- The UPP expressed its dismay when it was discovered that our passports were being illegally manufactured in St. Vincent & the Grenadines – outside the proper oversight of the Citizenship by Investment Unit.
- We spoke out against granting passports to individuals trading contraband on the Dark Web and to Chinese nationals wanted for alleged bank fraud.
- And we predicted dire consequences for the creation of the phantom “Antigua Airways” that facilitated over 900 West Africans (initially claimed by the Prime Minister to be “wealthy investors”) being landed here – and then making their way stealthily into US territories.
“Every single one of these security breaches – and others – occurred under Prime Minister Browne’s watch,” the Opposition Leader points out. “Every single warning from the Opposition was met with dismissiveness, denial, or deflection. We called for investigations and even a Commission of Inquiry, and the Administration responded with contempt.”
Now, the UPP notes, the bill has come due, and it is ordinary Antiguans and Barbudans –students pursuing education abroad; longstanding businesspeople and entrepreneurs; patients seeking medical treatment; and families hoping to visit loved ones – who will pay the price for this Administration’s incompetence, arrogance, and diplomatic failures.
It appears that there are other consequences, as well, including the replacement of the Cuban Medical Brigade with practitioners from Ghana – with no rationale, no preparation, and no reassurances to those who fund and depend on the public healthcare system.
“The people deserve honest answers about how this Administration allowed our nation to become the target of US visa restrictions. We demand information on what is actually required to remedy this situation – which affects not only individuals and businesses, but the economy, as CIP revenues have been figured into the 2026 Budget,” MP Pringle says.
“Antiguans and Barbudans deserve a government that takes international warnings seriously. They deserve leaders who engage proactively with international partners rather than scrambling with last-minute damage control after disaster strikes,” the Opposition Leader concludes. “They deserve a Prime Minister who accepts responsibility rather than deflecting blame.”
The UPP assures the nation, including members of the Diaspora, that it stands ready to work toward reversing this visa ban and restoring Antigua and Barbuda’s international standing. But that work must begin with Prime Minister Browne acknowledging his Administration’s failures, as only genuine accountability can begin to repair the damage.
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The PM has also been posting a lot of pro-blsck reels and shorts on his social media. This isn’t the time to be doing this with Trump in the White House. But brains was never this regions strong point. Entitlement and arrogance yes. Smarts no
Absolutely Mr Pringle.
Now this is the type of well put-together rebuttal of this administrations failures we were looking for.. finally!
You are on point..it absolutely starts with our PM. Time for the blame game to stop and to come up with solid solutions as leaders.
Well said sir, well said..
@Anansi.
Let him keep poking the bear, because all trump will do is double down and triple down in many occasions.
But hey..who are we to advice this man, he’s too arrogant to see his own flaws.
Blah blah blah blah I go stop read Giselle’s long and stupid press releases until the UPP get a new leader who is no longer merely Giselle’s puppet. Times to serious right now for a an untrained mind like Pringle to lead anybody, as he will just have other countries laugh at us
@Time.
And didn’t the US just spat in our faces?
When you people are actually going to see the forest from the trees with this administration?
Isn’t GB the leader of A&B for the past 12 years?
Well I guess you were the one who was leading this island, because GB has been MIA for about 5 years now.. he is dancing abroad more than he’s dancing a yard.. So go figure.
Say something with substance for once please.
@Time.
And didn’t the US just spat in our faces?
When you people are actually going to see the forest from the trees with this administration?
Isn’t GB the leader of A&B for the past 12 years?
Well I guess you were the one who was leading this island, because GB has been MIA for about 5 years now.. he is dancing abroad more than he’s dancing a yard.. So go figure.
Say something with substance for once please.
@Time.
And didn’t the US just spat in our faces?
When you people are actually going to see the forest from the trees with this administration?
Isn’t GB the leader of A&B for the past 12 years?
Well I guess you were the one who was leading this island, because GB has been MIA for about 5 years now.. he is dancing abroad more than he’s dancing a yard.. So go figure.
Say something with substance for once please.
Pringle’s response makes me hang my head in shame. Once again, the blackest of us all bows to the whitest of them all! Bambalaylay! Licks for anybody who dares stand up to the while orangutan with the red face and orange hair. How dare our humble PM criticize anything that the US clown orangutan does!!! Where were Pringle”s balls when the monster started murdering Venezuelan citizens under the pretext of combating drug smuggling from Venezuela into the US? Where was this sorry excuse for a black man when the white, red and orange clown rounded up Caribbean and Latin American US residents and deported them wily-nily from the US, many to parts of the world they know nothing about? Where was this black shameless dog when his untouchable caveman referred to black-governed countries as “shit-hole” countries? Thank God we do not have gutless niggers like Pringle and his emasculated cabinet running this country at this time. He would no doubt order that we follow that “cool” drunk of a PM south of the border, in granting to that obnoxious, criminal, racist beast unchecked power to do as he damn likes in this region because we all crave a US visa. Pringle and his gang will go down in infamy over their chickened stance on this pivotal issue. Get a spine, grow some balls, acquire some class, get an education, to begin with, before attempting to grapple issues totally beyond your intellectual capacity, “little black boy”!
We are being laughed at presently. Compliments of Giselle and Pringle? This seems like the tongue is not in dialog with the brain.
I am actually quite disappointed people are saying someone should not post pro-black reels over visas that’s actually sad. You’re willing to kiss the boots of a man that don’t want you there and is doing pro-white, US runs the world but the first thing you do is kiss the boots and be submissive instead of standing firm.
Pringle, step down and be quite. Its you and the rest of UPP’s fault that antigua ended up on the travle ban due to the petty squavle you started up over the alpha nero. If you guys didnt feed information to that US lawyer that has a connection to the current US President we wouldnt be in this mess, bet yea take the easy way out and point the blame on Gaston like the man child you are.
Do you know how incompetent ABLP is, they say they did not know this was going to happen. The diplomat for Antigua and Barbuda, Ronald Sanders, I think his name is, with the Guyanese accent, said he did not know or did not anticipate this happening. He said this to protect his job but this only shows his incompetence. How often have I told the ABLP PM Gaston Browne to stop constantly and erroneously victimize, abuse, disparage and being bias against the US and the US Presidents, especially so loudly in public, because there will be consequences in which will be more harmful for Antiguans and Barbudans if Americans stop going to Antigua and Barbuda, and if Antiguans and Barbudans are no longer able to go to the US.
I have warned the ABLP Governmment to begin hiring competent persons for jobs but they just can’t use merit in anything they do. They Guyanese Diplomat needs to be promptly fired. I want to hear an Antigua and Barbuda accent advocating for Antigua and Barbuda with a degree (not an honorary degree but a degree acquired through studying in the field).
Antigua and Barbuda will suffer in this era because there are no competent folks in offices where they should be for the United Islands of Antigua and Barbuda (UIA&B).
Many years ago, I am the one who told you guys to rename ALP to ABLP to include Barbuda, you listened, it is time you listen to all the other vitally important things that I have been teaching ABLP. don’t be arrogant now you are in power/office, listen to me like you listened when you were not in office.
I often wish there was a system in place where the ABLP as government, could just hand over governance to the UPP for brief time without an election, just to see Pringle as prime minister and how this UPP handle themselves on the world stage as a government.Would the IMF be reintroduce, would they bow and humble themselves to the powerful? I remembered how scared they were of Russia and the idear of selling the Alfa, they often speak boldly and strongly criticized, using the phrase did more in one term than ABLP ever in their whole term in office. If this is so why is it always such a short term in office and why voters always see it fit to overwhelmingly return this ABLP to power?
you all blaming Pringle like he is in office and not blaming Gaston brown the pirate ..you people are sick
We all know how UPP never defy US authority just look at Allan Stanford back in 2009 they basically said come on in and take all u want and hey we have nothing to do with him……No surprise here…..
Can Pringle run the country better? Look at all the overgrown bush in Swetes, all saints and old road hoops!
My response to Faithful Nationsl #1 is that he is a gargantuan asshole. The very reason we are where we are in Antigua
The U.S STATE DEPARTMENT needs to conduct an ivestigation on all persons who are holding CITIZEN BY INVESTMENT PASSPORTS (CBI) issued by ANTIGUA,DOMINICA,ST LUCIA,ST KITTS and GRENADA for NATIONAL SECURITY.Also the proceeds of 50 million U.S dollars from the sale of the RUSSIAN OLIGARCH YACHT ALFA NERO should be REPATRIATED to the U.S TREASURY to assist UKRAINE IN PURCHASING TOMAHAWK MISSILES to fight the RUSSIANS.
Wake up , after 400 years of wicked and heinous chapters in human history due to its unprecedented scale and systematic brutality we have not learned a thing from our ancestors resistance to industrialized dehumanization but petty bitterness and division among ourselves , same centuries old house slave vs field slave mentallity whiles the wicked massa continues to divide and conquer. quick to throw a brother under a bus because of one unstable deranged emotionally retarded bully in the white house.
Come on. Be worthy of living as an offspring of the ancestors that survived the middle passage in shackles , to overcome the plantations and conquer the americas.Please awaken that spirit … a united house under attack doesnt fall easily, Prince Takyi would have succeded if only the house was united. Stay woke!
My daughter studying in the US right now. Nobody explaining clearly what happens to students already there.
This is one of the biggest diplomatic embarrassments in recent history.
Hi Cindy, your daughter is fine. The proclamation indicates that the restrictions apply to nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date and who do not have a valid visa on that date. Your daughter does not fall in this category. They have not terminated any existing visas. Your daughter is in the US and has a visa so she is fine.
where in the proclamation stated this: “The U.S. proclamation—issued under President Donald Trump—clearly states that several categories of immigrant and non-immigrant visas held by Antiguan and Barbudan nationals will be suspended effective January 1, 2026.” Your first article on the matter was clear to point out the persons with existing visas were exempted, and that was since clarified by the US, so why are you now playing into the fear mongering, contradicting the facts? I expect better from you. Be responsible and don’t peddle or allow yourself to be the conduit mis or disinformation.
Those who use “Little Black Boy”. They really do an injustice to this black nation. I’m my opinion they yearn to be a slave master. This saying degrades us and gives the world reason to call us monkeys.
Know the black children of the future will be the recipients of our ignorance. Please, I beg you as a black person stop using it. You have to care, if not for your self, at least for others.
Never bite the hand that feed you ! When Baldwin wake up Chavez from his sleep and beg him for money to save the ecomomy 50 million dollars he got do you think he could have gottrn that from Trump no way in hell he could have and this Visa drama is just because of the relationship with Venezuela but the upp benififted 100 fold leave our PM alone and gets some insight of the game being played Chavez save this country from collasping ask Balwin and Antigua states we will continue to be friends of all and enemies of none , uou aint ready for the big games Richard Lewis come to the head of the class !