Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that Antigua and Barbuda will accept its nationals being deported from the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation initiative. Speaking at the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean’s (CAF) inaugural International Economic Forum in Panama City, Panama, Browne emphasized that the country has an obligation to take back its citizens, even if they were residing illegally in the U.S.
“We have no choice but to accept them,” said Browne, responding to concerns about the deportations.
Recent documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that 110 Antiguans are on the list for deportation. While some advocates, including Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), have urged Caribbean leaders to reject deportation requests, Browne reiterated the country’s commitment to its citizens regardless of their immigration status abroad.
