On Tuesday, the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda passed a landmark resolution that grants the national government conditional authority to continue negotiations with the United States regarding potential third-country national transfers, while embedding a 12-point framework that secures the Caribbean nation full and final discretion over whether to accept any individual proposed for transfer.
Tabled by Prime Minister Gaston Browne following a full day of parliamentary debate, the resolution explicitly clarifies that the vote does not greenlight any finalized agreement with the U.S., nor does it approve the transfer of any person to Antigua and Barbuda. Instead, it sets binding strict conditions for ongoing talks that prioritize protecting the small nation’s sovereignty, national security, legal commitments and core financial interests.
Under the principles ratified by lawmakers, the government may proceed with discussions with Washington in a spirit of bilateral friendship and cooperation, but all negotiations must center the sovereignty, domestic laws, security, infrastructure capacity and national priorities of Antigua and Barbuda. The resolution firmly rejects any permanent, automatic or open-ended program that would allow the U.S. to transfer a pre-determined number of third-country nationals to the country. Every potential transfer must undergo individual assessment and receive explicit prior approval from the Antigua and Barbuda government before moving forward.
Additional safeguards limit potential transfers to a number that the government confirms the country can responsibly accommodate, with considerations for public resource limits, national security, compliance with domestic and international law, available funding and the nation’s overall absorptive capacity. Before any individual can be accepted, the U.S. must provide full, verifiable information on the person’s identity and suitability for entry. Binding written agreements must also be finalized covering documentation, funding, accommodation, legal status and long-term responsibility for each individual. The government retains the unconditional right to deny entry to anyone with incomplete or inaccurate documentation, and requires the U.S. to arrange immediate repatriation at no cost to Antigua and Barbuda.
The resolution further mandates that all costs tied to any future arrangement—including accommodation, healthcare, security, administrative overhead and any onward movement or repatriation—must be covered by pre-agreed U.S. funding, ensuring that Antigua and Barbuda taxpayers bear no financial burden. It also preserves the government’s right to suspend or end any arrangement at any time if it deems the move necessary to protect national sovereignty, security, domestic laws or national interests. In a final clarifying provision, the resolution confirms that its passage does not equal parliamentary approval for any draft operating procedures currently under discussion, and does not independently authorize any transfers.
Speaking in support of the resolution, Prime Minister Browne framed the framework as a way to establish “clear principles and safeguards” that allow the country to continue negotiating with the U.S. without compromising its national independence. “It affirms that Antigua and Barbuda retains complete sovereign discretion. It requires full vetting, full funding, complete documentation and clear legal status for any person who may be considered. It preserves our right to suspend or terminate any arrangement should circumstances warrant,” Browne told Parliament.
The prime minister emphasized that the government had deliberately struck a careful balance between protecting the nation’s sovereignty and maintaining its critical bilateral relationship with the United States. “We value our friendships, but we also value our independence and the quality of life of our people,” he said. “Cooperation must be fair. Cooperation has to be balanced and it must be consistent with our national interests.”
During debate, Browne reiterated that Antigua and Barbuda would accept U.S.-imposed visa restrictions rather than agree to accept convicted criminals into the country. “If we were faced with an option of not taking criminals and to have visa restrictions, we’ll go for the visa restrictions because accepting criminals will destroy our country,” he stated. He added that any future consideration would be limited exclusively to individuals whose only violation relates to immigration or visa rules. Browne also disclosed that the nation intends to request up to $75 million USD per individual accepted under any eventual agreement, arguing that Antigua and Barbuda’s higher cost of living justifies greater financial compensation than that offered to other participating countries.
Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin told lawmakers that the resolution should not be misinterpreted as approval of a final deal, as no such agreement has been finalized. “The White Paper is not presented as a complete agreement, nor is this House being asked to approve a conclusive operating agreement. None exists,” Benjamin said. He explained that Parliament’s role here is to set core negotiating principles for the executive branch, while leaving detailed talks to the government.
Benjamin also revealed that between March 2025 and June 2026, Antigua and Barbuda accepted five of its own citizens deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, noting that this legal obligation to repatriate one’s own nationals is fundamentally different from accepting citizens of third countries. “Every nation has a duty to receive its own citizens,” he said, adding that no similar international obligation exists for third-country nationals.
Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene defended the government’s choice to engage in talks with Washington, arguing that willingness to listen to a proposal should not be mistaken for unconditional acceptance. “We engage because responsible governments do,” Greene said. “They do not make important decisions in ignorance. They do not refuse to listen before they know what is being proposed. And they do not confuse engagement with agreement.”
Greene added that Antigua and Barbuda has already rejected key elements of the original U.S. proposal because they failed to adequately protect the nation’s interests. Rather than cutting off talks entirely, the government submitted extensive counterproposals that narrowed the eligible categories of people that could be considered, reduced the proposed maximum number of transfers, strengthened documentation requirements, and required the U.S. to take on full financial responsibility for any arrangement. “That is not capitulation. That is negotiation. That is the essence, the true form, of diplomacy,” Greene said. He also praised the nation’s U.S.-based Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders for leading negotiations in Washington under Browne’s direction, noting that Sanders had firmly defended Antigua and Barbuda’s legal, financial and security interests throughout the process.
Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez urged Parliament to consider the broader economic implications of the negotiations, noting that the government cannot ignore Antigua and Barbuda’s heavy reliance on the U.S. as its primary source of tourism revenue. Fernandez explained that tourism accounts for roughly 60 to 65 percent of the nation’s total gross domestic product, and warned that any major breakdown in relations with Washington could carry severe economic consequences. “If we lose our tourism, 60, 65 percent of GDP [would go] down the drain,” he said. Framing the issue as a delicate “balancing act”, Fernandez noted that the government is seeking an arrangement that protects the nation’s dignity and sovereignty, while also safeguarding the tourism industry and the thousands of local livelihoods that depend on it.
Not all parliamentary members supported the resolution. Barbuda MP Trevor Walker argued that Antigua and Barbuda is negotiating from a position of weakness due to existing U.S. visa restrictions, and questioned whether the nation has sufficient leverage to secure a favorable deal. “Antigua and Barbuda don’t have no cards,” Walker claimed, while calling for broader public consultation and a unified collective position from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the issue. He also questioned why Parliament received an unsigned draft memorandum rather than a finalized agreement, and urged the government to provide more public context around the existing U.S. visa restrictions affecting citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.
Government representatives rejected these criticisms, noting that negotiations have already resulted in substantial revisions to the original U.S. proposal. The resolution, they argued, gives the government a clear parliamentary mandate while locking in full sovereign control over any final decision. With the resolution now formally adopted, the Browne administration has authority to proceed with talks, but any eventual agreement must remain aligned with the 12 principles approved by Parliament. These non-negotiable terms include individual case-by-case approval, full government discretion, 100 percent U.S. funding, binding written legal safeguards, and the permanent right of Antigua and Barbuda to reject, suspend or terminate any arrangement whenever it determines the move serves the national interest.