The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has outlined strict new draft requirements that the small Caribbean nation is demanding before accepting any transfers of third-country nationals from the United States. Browne laid out the proposed operating procedures during an interview Saturday on the *Browne and Browne Show* broadcast on local outlet Pointe FM, making clear that the terms remain under active negotiation with U.S. authorities in Washington and have not yet been finalized by both parties.
At the core of the proposed framework is a non-negotiable rule: every individual transferred must hold a valid, unexpired passport issued by their country of origin. Beyond that basic document requirement, Antigua and Barbuda’s government must also confirm that the person in question has a guaranteed, legal right to enter either their home country or another pre-approved onward destination before any transfer can be approved.
Under the draft rules, U.S. officials would be required to submit a copy of each individual’s passport alongside formal documentation proving that the intended onward destination will grant the person entry. This submission must also disclose any existing legal, diplomatic, or practical barriers that could block the person from completing their onward travel after their temporary stay in Antigua and Barbuda.
Browne emphasized that these safeguards were designed explicitly to avoid a scenario where Antigua and Barbuda becomes a permanent holding spot for people unable to leave the country after transfer. “We’re not accepting anyone without a travel document, because if they don’t have a travel document, then clearly we’ll be stuck with them,” he explained in the interview.
A valid passport alone is not enough to secure approval for transfer, under the draft proposal. Each individual transfer requires explicit written approval from Antigua and Barbuda’s government before the movement can take place. The framework also places a hard cap on transfer volumes: no more than seven people may be transferred to the nation in any three-month period, and the government retains the right to accept fewer than that limit if it chooses.
To date, Browne confirmed that Antigua and Barbuda has revised an initial draft proposal put forward by the United States and submitted its amended terms back to Washington for review. As of the announcement, the passport requirement and onward travel conditions have not been formalized into a mutually agreed bilateral agreement.