Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that his administration will ramp up efforts to locate undocumented migrants and expel foreign nationals engaged in criminal activity from the twin-island nation. The announcement came during an appearance on the Browne and Browne Show, where senior law enforcement leaders were discussing the recent apprehension of foreign suspects who were wanted on murder charges in other jurisdictions. Following their arrest, police confirmed the suspects have already been transferred back to the countries where the crimes were committed to face prosecution. For Browne, these high-profile cases underscore a critical gap in the country’s immigration oversight: the absence of fully updated, accurate records on all foreign residents. “Every single immigrant in this country must bring his or her [immigration status] up to date,” Browne stated. “We have to know precisely who is in the country.” The prime minister clarified that undocumented migrants who fail to contribute to the country’s social and economic growth will be required to leave Antigua and Barbuda. “If you’re here illegally and you’re not making a contribution to nation-building, you go from whence you came,” he emphasized. Browne was quick to stress that this new enforcement push is not targeted at the broader immigrant community, noting that foreign-born residents have long been integral to Antigua and Barbuda’s ongoing development. He added that his government has consistently treated immigrants fairly and recognizes the valuable work they have done alongside native-born citizens to build the national economy. That said, Browne argued that a small subset of foreign criminals have been exploiting Antigua and Barbuda as a safe hub to run cross-border illegal operations, most notably drug trafficking. He also confirmed that national security officials have received intelligence indicating that people wanted for serious violent offenses in neighboring Caribbean countries are currently hiding within the nation’s borders. “We are going to make sure we weed them out,” Browne said. “We have to keep this country safe and secure.” A senior police official echoed the prime minister’s concerns, calling for deeper collaboration between law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean region and more robust pre-entry background screening for all people arriving in Antigua and Barbuda. The official noted that the modus operandi and weapons used in a string of recent armed robberies in the country matched patterns typically associated with criminal networks based in other Caribbean jurisdictions. While Browne did not announce a formal timeline for rolling out the intensified enforcement or detail any specific new immigration tracking system, his public remarks make clear that strengthened immigration controls and more rigorous screening of foreign nationals will be central pillars of the government’s ongoing strategy to curb violent crime across the country.
Antigua and Barbuda Vows to Deport Foreign Criminals and Tighten Checks on Undocumented Migrants
