PM Browne Assures Public Existing US Visas Remain Valid as New Restrictions Take Effect
Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Thursday sought to reassure Antiguans and Barbudans that existing United States visas remain valid, as partial travel restrictions affecting the issuance of new visas take effect today.
In his 2026 New Year’s Address to the nation, Browne acknowledged public concern following recent decisions by the United States government restricting the issuance of new visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, describing the reaction as understandable given the importance of U.S. travel to many citizens.
“Let me therefore speak plainly—and reassuringly,” Browne said, adding that “all existing United States visas held by Antiguans and Barbudans remain valid and will be honoured.”
The prime minister said his government has already begun “the careful and constructive work required” to establish a system through which new visas can be issued “in an orderly and systematic manner,” as the restrictions come into force.
Browne said Antigua and Barbuda would approach the situation through diplomacy rather than confrontation, noting that decisions taken by larger countries often have significant consequences for small states.
“Decisions taken elsewhere ripple across small states such as ours,” he said, while emphasizing that the government would continue to engage “respectfully, persistently, and in good faith.”
He reaffirmed Antigua and Barbuda’s long-standing relationship with the United States, describing it as one the country values and expects “to continue to grow from strength to strength.”
“Our strength has never been found in gripes, but in competence; not in anger, but in steadfast diplomacy; not in retreat, but in resilience,” Browne said, outlining the government’s foreign policy posture amid shifting global conditions.
The prime minister also cautioned against alarmist responses to international pressures, saying national unity and calm leadership would guide the country’s engagement abroad.
“Unity at home is our first line of defense abroad,” he said.
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Go get a life. The proclamation never said anything about existing visas . Of citizens were worried so what. Tell those who can’t apply in 2026 for 180 days and those who want to know , what caused this. Why the Cubans wete sent home? Why you love sue instead of tell the truth.
It is Gaston head strong and repugnant behavior on the world stage that has caused Antiguans all this suffering, the both party have this crap of politically rewarding foreigners with passports and citizenship after they vote for them in an election, all them Spanish people you see liming on tindall road in bars as prostitute or alcohol drinkers have an Antiguan passport from the ALP amnesty or UPP millennial act, you know what it’s like to be in the USA and your accent cause you to be mistaken for Jamaican and get treated badly? All the foreigners from the Caribbean along with chucksi and all them middle eastern people have Antigua passports, remember when he would say he gave a few hundred to some new found Chinese investor to go sell to raise monies for their property construction? you remember Gaston trips to Iraq and Ian or where ever in middle east he knew that shady character would like a name change and passport to get revenge on the USA ? Gaston went their.
The Prime Minister’s New Year’s reassurance that existing, valid U.S. visas remain unaffected is useful public information and he should continue calming the nation. But it only underscores a far more serious issue: how did we get here in the first place? Days earlier, the Hon. Foreign Minister commended Ambassador Ronald Sanders for “working diligently” on the visa matter. Yet under his watch, future U.S. visas for Antiguans and Barbudans have been suspended. This is the highest level of failure.
Diplomacy is not about commentary, press statements, or congratulating oneself after the fact. It is about results. And the result here is unmistakable: restricted mobility for Antiguans and Barbudans. This is not an isolated lapse. It is part of a long and consistent pattern. Ambassador Sanders has failed to deliver meaningful outcomes at the WTO. He failed in his bid for the Commonwealth Secretary-General position. He has failed to build durable strategic wins for Antigua and Barbuda in Washington. And now, he has failed in one of the most basic duties of an ambassador, safeguarding the interests and access of his people abroad.
What we have seen instead are flowery commentaries, self-promotional posts, and endless self-uplifting narratives that do little for nation-building and even less for measurable diplomatic success. Antigua and Barbuda does not need eloquent essays or personal brand management masquerading as diplomacy. It needs competence, results, and accountability. Ambassador RonSanders has failed repeatedly and should be removed from office immediately.
The world boss sounds very humble right now