Antigua and Barbuda faces mounting political turmoil following the White House’s unprecedented travel restrictions targeting most of the nation’s citizens. The proclamation has exposed deep divisions within the government, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders delivering conflicting messages that have further confused the public.
Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle has launched scathing criticism against the administration, characterizing the visa ban as direct consequence of systematic governance failures. “This is not coincidence. This is consequence,” Pringle stated, highlighting that Antiguans and Barbudans now stand “singled out, humiliated, and punished for the Prime Minister’s tone-deafness” while other Caribbean citizens maintain US access.
The political opposition traces the current crisis to multiple security breaches under the Browne Administration’s watch. These include Canada’s revocation of visa-free access following security concerns, the illegal manufacturing of passports in St. Vincent & the Grenadines outside proper oversight, and the controversial granting of citizenship to individuals involved in dark web contraband trading and alleged Chinese bank fraud.
Particular attention has been drawn to the ‘Antigua Airways’ initiative that facilitated the arrival of over 900 West Africans who subsequently entered US territories—a scheme initially promoted as bringing “wealthy investors” but now viewed as a significant security lapse.
The opposition notes that every warning about Citizenship by Investment Programme vulnerabilities was met with “dismissiveness, denial, or deflection.” Now, ordinary citizens—students abroad, businesspeople, medical patients, and families seeking reunification—bear the burden of these diplomatic failures.
Additional consequences are emerging, including the unexplained replacement of the Cuban Medical Brigade with practitioners from Ghana, raising concerns about healthcare stability.
The United Progressive Party asserts readiness to work toward reversing the visa ban and restoring the nation’s international standing, but emphasizes that genuine accountability must begin with the Prime Minister acknowledging his administration’s failures.