For years, political rivals of Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne have circulated persistent false claims that he was barred from entering the United States—either due to being a person of interest to U.S. law enforcement or because his visa had been revoked. These allegations have repeatedly surfaced ahead of national elections, most recently during the island nation’s latest general election cycle. Now, Browne is pushing back forcefully against this misinformation, pointing to his official recent trip to New York as irrefutable proof that the claims are entirely unfounded.
In an interview aired on local station Pointe FM, Browne laid out the details of his U.S. visit that directly contradict years of opposition rhetoric. During the trip, he received standard official security accommodations for a sitting head of government, including escort services from U.S. Secret Service agents. “The very United States government provided me with security,” Browne explained to listeners. “Secret Service met me at the airport, several agents accompanied me everywhere I went, and an officer was posted outside my hotel throughout my stay.” He noted that this level of official coordination would never have been possible if the opposition’s claims of a revoked visa or active warrant were true.
The prime minister recounted that even ordinary members of the public expressed surprise at his open travel, after years of consuming unsubstantiated speculation online. One member of the public approached him immediately upon his arrival to note the disconnect between the visible trip and the widespread misinformation: “Wait, I thought they said you can’t go to the United States because they revoked your visa,” the woman told him, according to Browne.
Browne emphasized that these false claims have had real impact on Antigua and Barbuda’s electoral politics, noting that large numbers of voters have been swayed by the misinformation in past election cycles. The spread of false claims grew particularly acute during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that even outright lies circulated ahead of the 2023 general election were widely accepted as fact by segments of the voting public.
Beyond countering political misinformation, Browne’s New York visit centered on critical international policy work. The trip was organized around the Global Citizen NOW summit, where the prime minister took part in high-level discussions focused on pressing global priorities: strengthening climate resilience for small island developing states, expanding access to renewable energy, reforming sustainable development financing, and advancing global equity. He also held a series of preparatory meetings with leaders from philanthropy, the clean energy sector, and global policy circles, in anticipation of Antigua and Barbuda’s upcoming role hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.