Antigua reopens talks with U.S. on deportees

Sep 18, 2026 News

…Govt. insists on case-by-case approval, legal safeguards and full funding before accepting anyone

(Kaieteur News) – Antigua and Barbuda is preparing to resume discussions with the United States over a proposal for the Caribbean nation to receive a limited number of third-country nationals deported from the US.

Antigua’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, announced that the talks are expected to restart shortly at the request of Washington, as part of a wider US initiative involving several countries, including Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.

Antigua reopens talks with U.S. on deportees

Antigua’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders

The development comes as Guyana has already entered into a similar arrangement with the United States. Last week Guyana received six third-country nationals removed from the US—four Cuban nationals and two Afghans—under an arrangement that has generated public discussion over the legal, financial and humanitarian responsibilities associated with accepting deportees who are not citizens of the receiving country.

Against that backdrop, Antigua and Barbuda is making clear that any agreement with Washington will be subject to strict safeguards. Sanders said Antigua will return to the negotiating table based on a resolution adopted by the country’s House of Representatives on July 14, 2026, which establishes the principles governing participation in any third-country deportation arrangement.

The parliamentary framework gives Antigua and Barbuda the sovereign authority to approve or reject each proposed transfer individually. It also rules out an automatic or open-ended programme and requires satisfactory legal, operational, financial and administrative arrangements before anyone can be transferred.

Those arrangements must address the identity and documentation of deportees, accommodation and support, legal status, security, funding, and responsibility for their onward movement or return.

The negotiations will be overseen by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Sir Steadroy Benjamin, and Foreign Affairs Minister E. Paul Chet Greene. Sanders stressed that no final agreement has been reached with the United States and no third-country national has been authorised for transfer to Antigua and Barbuda.

He said the resumed talks are intended to determine whether terms can be negotiated that comply with the parliamentary framework, Antigua and Barbuda’s laws, international obligations and the country’s national interest.

The government said it remains willing to cooperate with Washington but will seek to protect Antigua’s sovereignty, security and financial interests, while taking into account the country’s limited capacity to absorb additional persons. Antigua and Barbuda said it will also require clarity on who bears responsibility and costs associated with housing, supporting, monitoring and ultimately repatriating or relocating any persons accepted under an agreement. The government has pledged to keep the public informed as negotiations progress, saying transparency will remain a central part of its handling of the matter.

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Antigua and Barbuda, Sir. Ronald Sanders, US deportees

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