PM Says Immigration Amnesty Needed to Unlock Skills Already in Workforce
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the recently announced immigration amnesty is intended to unlock skilled labour already present in Antigua and Barbuda, arguing that continued economic growth cannot be sustained without regularising undocumented workers.
Speaking on Pointe FM’s Browne and Browne programme, Browne said many undocumented residents are already contributing to the economy but remain unable to fully participate because of their legal status.
“The economy is growing, and quite frankly, without the immigrants, we would not be able to sustain the growth,” Browne said, pointing to labour shortages in construction, tourism and other expanding sectors.
Browne said the amnesty is designed to bring those workers out of the shadows, allowing them to regularise their status and contribute more openly and productively. “It makes no sense having people here working in the shadows,” he said, adding that regularisation would benefit both workers and the state.
He said Antigua and Barbuda’s labour market has tightened as development activity increases, creating demand that cannot be met by the local workforce alone.
“Practically anyone who wants a job and is not too fussy about what job they do can find a job,” Browne said, noting that immigrant labour has become critical to sustaining momentum across multiple sectors.
The prime minister said details of the amnesty, including timelines and eligibility, will be outlined by the relevant authorities, but stressed that the policy is rooted in economic necessity rather than political convenience.
He said the initiative forms part of a broader labour-management strategy aimed at maintaining growth while improving regulation and compliance within the workforce.
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When will Antiguans come to realize this country is run by a fucking crazy man. Gaston Browne Administration allows people to come here violate our immigration laws and then offer amnesty as though it’s going out of style to win elections.
We are not against others coming here but it must be done legally and the will be welcomed.
People of Antigua and Barbuda, put politics aside and take back our country from this jackass who is only thinking of cementing himself in power.
Just where the hell can Faithful National #1 be.
You are an intelligent person, please ask Gaston to stop this foolishness. Put politics aside for once and think about the country. This country belongs to all of us, it’s not for Gaston to do as he pleases. I know you hate Harold, but think of country first
But individuals who applied for their passports in 2023 can’t get it. How nice 🙂
We are complaining about illegal immigrants? And at same time blaspheming Trump the way is handling the Illegal Immigrants in USA? Should Gaston do what Trump is doing and kicking out all Illegals Immigrants because they violate the Antigua immigration Laws?
How we are going to call Gaston if he proceed the same way Trump is doing? The supremacist Black Leader that don’t want people from Third World countries, No Jamaicans, No Guyanese, No Spanish, No Africans?
@ Smith
Are you some sort of special IDIOT. Nobody is asking Gaston to take advantage of immigrants, we are saying they should come in legally, follow our laws and the will be treated fairly. Trump is removing people who are there illegally, but he is doing it brutally. Nobody is asking our government to do it with brute force. Hope you at least have a little common sense to understand that
@Clytie: Well the street life tell different story.. How a females Antiguans feel jealous of a Jamaican, Guyanese, Spanish coming here staying Illegal and start dating local males? They talk real hard hard how to punish those foreigners. That’s why I use the rhetoric of Trump. I hope we don’t do that over here.
And by the way in term of USA policies about ICE. Is now is becoming more sensationalist, due previous administration was same crap. Under Obama was the one who build literally CAGES to keep KIDS inside, he still have higher record of enforce deportation. Now the social media are making this tings more dramatic but back them was same like that.. Always was like that, but people was not monetizing enough in Youtube or other social platform back them to make viral. Now you are getting more money for producing content and getting for comments.
Was George Bush in 2006 who started all this Raids in Workplaces and the gap between arrests and deportations today shows the challenges the Trump administration faces. Obama administration’s record-setting year of 2013 in which more than 400,000 noncitizens were deported, that is an average of 1100 person per day being deported. Trump is too far from those numbers.
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