BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Following weeks of intense public debate over the federation’s bilateral migration agreement with the United States, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis has officially confirmed that the first group of third-country nationals deported from the U.S. have arrived in the country as of Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Three individuals, citizens of fellow CARICOM member states Jamaica and Belize, completed the transfer from U.S. jurisdiction to St. Kitts and Nevis on the scheduled date, according to an official statement released by the St. Kitts-Nevis Information Service (SKNIS).
To date, government officials have chosen not to release public details about the logistical coordination of the transfer or the temporary accommodation arrangements for the three deportees while they remain in the federation. The operation is being carried out fully under the terms of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiated between the St. Kitts and Nevis federal government and the U.S. government, which outlines protocols for the transfer of CARICOM third-country nationals held by U.S. authorities.
The government’s statement clarifies that under the binding terms of the MOU, the entire transfer process incurs no financial cost to the St. Kitts and Nevis government. All three individuals have already completed mandatory screening through the federation’s standard immigration and national security protocols, and will receive the same immigration status and legal residency provisions that apply to all CARICOM nationals residing in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The arrival marks the first concrete implementation of the agreement, which gained public attention earlier this year when Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew formally announced St. Kitts and Nevis would join a growing list of CARICOM territories that have signed similar arrangements to accept deportees from the United States. At the time of the announcement, Drew stressed that the policy strictly limits acceptance to CARICOM nationals with no prior criminal convictions, a provision the government has reaffirmed this week.
In his earlier remarks to reporters at a Round Table discussion, Drew emphasized that the MOU was carefully negotiated to align with the federation’s sovereign interests, and made explicit that St. Kitts and Nevis would not accept any deportees who are citizens of Haiti, a key carve-out to address public concerns over the policy.
The SKNIS statement added that domestic stakeholders have been fully involved in the process from the start: all relevant national security, immigration, and law enforcement agencies have participated in planning and screening for the transfer. Before the individuals arrived, U.S. authorities shared full biographical, medical, and criminal background records with St. Kitts and Nevis officials to enable full vetting.
Officials confirmed that the three individuals were transferred not due to criminal convictions in the U.S., but for violations of U.S. immigration law. Under the terms of the agreement, the deportees retain the right to choose whether to return to their respective home countries at their own discretion, so long as they comply with the immigration laws of Jamaica and Belize respectively.
In closing, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to responsible migration governance, upholding its agreed international obligations, and protecting public safety and national sovereignty. Officials urged members of the public to only seek updates and information from official government sources to avoid misinformation about the program and future transfers.