Statement by Sir Ronald Sanders
Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States
On the instructions of, and with the guidance of, the Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda— with whom I have been working closely following the issuance of the United States Proclamation entitled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” issued on 16 December 2025—I met today with senior officials of the United States Department of State.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Proclamation and its implications for Antigua and Barbuda.
At that meeting, the following matters were confirmed and agreed, and I wish to place them clearly on the public record.
First, all visas currently in existence and validly issued to holders of Antigua and Barbuda passports will continue to be respected and accepted for entry into the United States. This applies to all visa categories, including B-1, B-2, J, and M visas.
For the avoidance of doubt, this includes tourist, business, student, and other valid United States-issued visas.
Second, there will be no revocation of any existing visas issued to nationals of Antigua and Barbuda prior to 31 December 2025.
Third, with regard to new visa applications submitted after that date, these will be subject to new arrangements that are still to be worked out with several Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda.
These arrangements relate specifically to the collection of biometric information of Antigua and Barbuda passport holders to ensure full compatibility with United States biometric systems.
I emphases that the process of gathering the biometric information will be no different than now applies to all Antigua and Barbuda citizens; only the technology will change to align it with the US system.
This alignment of biometric data systems will apply to all citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, including citizens by birth, descent, naturalisation, or investment.
On behalf of the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda, I wish to express appreciation to the officials of the United States Government who have worked with us constructively and in good faith to address this matter.
We are grateful for their commitment to continue working with us in furtherance of the cooperative relationship that our two countries have long enjoyed.
Antigua and Barbuda recognises and respects the responsibility of the United States to protect its national security.
We have pledged—and we reaffirm—our commitment to continue working closely with United States authorities on all necessary measures to ensure that our systems present no risk to U.S. security, while preserving legitimate travel for our citizens.
We are pleased that clarity has been achieved on these immediate concerns, and we will continue to participate fully in the work now underway to ensure the continuation of strong people-to-people exchanges between the United States and Antigua and Barbuda.
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Great, another big pay-off for the government. Want to bet they will say we need new passports to comply with the regulations the US will put in place. More corruption in store for sure
Sir Sir didn’t tell people who read and don’t listen to rumors anything that we didn’t already know.
Was that all this so called great diplomat got for the people? What a joke.
Did Ronaldo Sing broker any deal on our behalf? He stated what we already knew from the original release and what wasnt mentioned remains the same, so acting like he just saved the day only proves that he’s only trying to save face for the failed PM and himself.
For me, nothing about the update is really comforting. Yes Antiguans and Barbudans with existing visas would still be able to go to and from the US with increased scrutiny BUT no new visas including the renewals of visas would take place from 1st January 2026. Nothing about this newly explained position is soothing, refreshing and encouraging. It is hard to swallow that our countrymen and women are now RESTRICTED from applying for US visas at least for the next six months.
Audley always speak on both side of his mouth. He only follow the crowd. Ron Sanders explanation was very good because many people was confused thinking that after January first, all existing visas would becone noll and void. But with his explanation, we fully understand what is about to happen. Not everybody can read and not everybody who read understood what they read.
I don’t understand so I may need to go back and read the report on the order but wasn’t “entry” what was being restricted? If this is about new applications and renewal of visas those persons are already prohibited by virtue of not having a visa… Applying for a visa or it’s renewal is not a given so why the need of a proclamation?
Probably best that the sequence of events are playing out as they are now because it would be way worse if this proclamation had gone out before the mass deportations started…. Imagine how many people would have ran off to “make life” after an announcement like this only end up in a new America where they can track you down like a chipped dog now
Scrap the CIP program. You all continue to say that you all will make any responsible changes the US requires. Reasonable sound like the ball is in your court. Again scrap the CIP program.
N they try to take the fools a little further. Ronald, no points scored. This we already knew from the proclamation that was sent out. The issue is NO VISAS FROM NOW FOR ANTIGUANS until further notice. Who would know when this will be up so they can apply .
N those making the loudest noise that they don’t care to go America, never use a damn plane to go NO WHERE in them lifetime. So they need to just shut up n do more reading.
This shows how disrespectful the US is to small island states. You make a decision then you negotiate
Mr Ambassador, you make no news here. The proclamation itself made it clean that holders of US visas with Antigua and Barbuda passport were exempted. Why are you trying to fool the people into thinking that you have achieved something. You are better than that. Stop it! Go to the real work in getting the proclamation rescinded. Congtats on the good work in the past.
It’s better than a total shutdown, but still concerning.
Jingle bells Jingle bells jingle all the way
Them USA official must be saying he is just a part of an organization in Antigua called ALP that is fleecing the people tax money and only entitled to ambassadorial position if Gaston and ALP in government, he has no credibility, they know if all the investigations on him, as a matter a fact it is through white financial institutions the money was stolen and channel through. And they know he is a Guyanese also.
Fool around with this new order and the State Department will simply slap👋🏻 some additional sanctions and, TRAVEL WARNINGS to their citizens and your tourism market will be hit like the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CIP needs to be scrapped period. In my opinion it’s not sustainable. We need to go back to Pappa Birds formula, come in and invest first. Who sees the money for the CIP?
The world has change and we all needs to comply with the international standards, AI is what’s controlling and we have terorist in all forms and the USA more so not taking any chances. There could be also be underlying issues that brought the USA to this proclamation we may not know all of them but
The CIP should be Scrapped Period.
This statement is not reassurance. It is an admission of failure. Nothing in the Ambassador’s update meaningfully alters the reality that Antigua and Barbuda was caught flat-footed by a U.S. proclamation with direct consequences for our citizens. Restating that existing visas remain valid, that biometric systems will be “aligned,” or that consultations are now underway does not constitute diplomacy, it constitutes damage control after the fact.
A proclamation of this magnitude does not materialize overnight. It is the product of interagency processes, internal reviews, and policy signaling that unfold over time. Any ambassador with effective access, credibility, and intelligence within Washington should have been aware of this trajectory well before it reached public issuance. At minimum, there should have been advance notice. At best, there should have been preemptive engagement to delay, shape, or avert the outcome altogether. That did not happen.
The notion that Antigua and Barbuda only learned of these measures once they were already proclaimed represents a fundamental breakdown of diplomatic function. An ambassador’s core responsibility is not to explain decisions after they are made, but to ensure their government is informed before decisions are taken, especially when those decisions affect sovereignty, mobility, and international standing.
Reassurances offered after the horse has bolted are not victories. They are consolation prizes. Heads should roll for this. In any serious foreign service, an ambassador who allows their country to be publicly blindsided on a matter of national interest would be recalled, if not asked to resign outright. Accountability is not optional in diplomacy; it is the price of credibility. This episode reflects not only a failure of anticipation, but a failure of influence. If Antigua and Barbuda does not have sufficient standing within the State Department and the White House to receive early warning and meaningful consultation, then that is precisely where urgent reform and leadership change must begin. Diplomacy 101: you don’t explain a crisis after it happens; you prevent it from happening in the first place..
@purnel.
Sir, go straight to the head of the class.
It is “failure” all around,and Sanders is doing Monday morning quarterbacking to save his backside.
I would be hopeful to say that this can be fixed by these same “failures”, but I doubt.
To call the same person to out the fire that he started, is the closest thing to insanity it gets.
These leaders just simply has to go. I have said it before in the past, many times on this forum, not out of hate, but love for our people in general. This entire thing we call politics and leaders here in Antigua, has to be stripped down and start from scratch.
That’s as pellucid as it gets right now at this point in our current environment.
Just too many failures in the past five years with this administration, too many. But they always say..” when it rains it pours”.
Sad indeed.
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