ABLP Chairman responds to Pringle’s False Claims on U.S Visa Restrictions

Statement by the Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party and Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party rejects as false and misleading the claim by Jamale Pringle that visa restrictions imposed by the United States are the fault of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda or that he can somehow “fix” them.

The position of the United States Government has been stated plainly by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio:

“In support of this critical objective, the Department of State is announcing a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets those working on behalf of U.S. adversaries to undermine our national interests in our hemisphere, including regional security and democratic sovereignty.”

He has also made clear the principle that governs all such decisions:

“Getting a U.S. visa is not a right; it is a privilege which we alone decide.”

These are decisions of the United States Government, taken in pursuit of its own national interests and applied across the Western Hemisphere. They are not determined by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and no Opposition politician in this country can reverse them by campaign slogan or empty boast.

Antigua and Barbuda is not alone in this matter. Other countries in the Caribbean are also affected, and many nationals across the region are denied visas every day under U.S. law and policy.

The difference is that while others play politics, this Government has been doing the serious diplomatic work. Antigua and Barbuda has been at the forefront of discussions with the United States to secure improved arrangements. Indeed, as recently as two days ago, Prime Minister Gaston Browne discussed this matter directly with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

That is how responsible governments act. They engage, they represent, and they persist. They do not mislead the public with promises they have no power to fulfil.

Mr Pringle’s statement is either a sign that he does not understand how relations between states work, or a calculated attempt to deceive the people for political gain. Neither is a qualification for leadership.

The people of Antigua and Barbuda deserve the truth. U.S. visa policy is made in Washington, not in St John’s. No amount of political posturing can change that reality.

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