On a recent public radio broadcast, details of a draft bilateral arrangement between the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the United States emerged, revealing strict nationality limitations that Antigua and Barbuda is pushing to include in the final agreement.
Per the draft operating procedures made public on Saturday, the proposed framework would only permit the United States to put forward for transfer individuals holding nationality from Caribbean Community member states — with the explicit exception of Haiti — as well as citizens of Brazil and Colombia. Any individual from outside this pre-approved list of nationalities would only be eligible for consideration if Antigua and Barbuda grants formal written consent in advance.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne walked through the revised draft during an appearance on Pointe FM’s *Browne and Browne Show*, where he clarified that his administration had modified the initial terms shared by Washington, and is now waiting for the U.S. side to respond. Browne emphasized that the nationality restrictions are Antigua and Barbuda’s counterproposal, not a finalized clause that has already been agreed to by U.S. negotiators.
Beyond nationality rules, the draft lays out additional key parameters to govern the arrangement. Citizens and nationals of Antigua and Barbuda itself are completely excluded from any transfers covered by the deal. The same exclusion applies to individuals under the age of 18, and people with an established criminal record — the only exception to this criminal history rule is offenses related solely to violations of U.S. immigration law.
Even for candidates that meet all nationality criteria, approval is not guaranteed. Every individual proposed for transfer must hold a valid passport, and have a confirmed, realistic, and fully legal pathway to either return to their country of origin or continue travel to a third destination. Antigua and Barbuda will retain full authority to approve or reject each proposed candidate via written approval before any individual is placed on a flight to the country.
To cap the volume of transfers, the draft also sets a hard limit of seven total transfers across any three-month period, and explicitly states that the government of Antigua and Barbuda faces no requirement to accept a minimum number of transferees under the framework.
During his radio remarks, Browne did not elaborate on why Brazil and Colombia were selected for inclusion on the eligible nationality list, nor did he explain the decision to explicitly exclude Haitian nationals from the eligible group. To date, no transfers have been announced under this revised draft framework, as negotiations between the two countries remain ongoing.