White Paper: Antigua Demands U.S. Cover Full Cost of Any Third-Country Deportees

Antigua and Barbuda will not accept any third-country nationals removed from the United States unless Washington agrees in advance to bear the full financial cost of their reception, housing, healthcare, welfare, security and any future removal from the country, according to the Government’s newly released White Paper on the proposed arrangement.

The document makes clear that no individual should leave the United States unless a binding written commitment has first been secured guaranteeing that neither Antigua and Barbuda nor its taxpayers will shoulder the financial burden of accommodating deportees who are not its nationals.

Under the Government’s counter-proposal, the United States—or another international agency approved by Antigua and Barbuda—would have to pay the full cost of reception, settlement, accommodation, subsistence, healthcare, welfare support, security services, administrative processing and any onward travel or return arrangements relating to each individual transferred.

“The Government will not grant approval for any transfer unless a binding written commitment to full financial responsibility has been received and accepted,” the White Paper states.

It further warns that the arrival of any person who has not been approved or whose costs have not been fully secured in advance would be treated as a violation of the proposed arrangement.

The White Paper argues that Antigua and Barbuda, as a small island developing state with limited land, financial resources and public services, cannot be expected to subsidize another country’s immigration policy.

It says the financial implications extend well beyond initial reception and include long-term demands on healthcare, social services, law enforcement, housing and government administration.

“The reception, settlement, accommodation, healthcare, welfare support, security support, administrative processing, and onward or return arrangements all carry financial and operational consequences,” the document states, warning that those burdens would weigh heavily on a country of Antigua and Barbuda’s size unless fully funded in advance.

Government also notes that accepting third-country nationals could expose the country to significant legal obligations under international treaties if individuals seek asylum or become effectively stateless after arrival. In such cases, authorities warn the state could face ongoing costs associated with supporting individuals who cannot legally be returned to their country of origin.

The White Paper says these concerns were among several shortcomings identified in draft operating procedures submitted by the United States.

According to the Government, some of those proposals failed to include a binding commitment requiring Washington to meet the full cost of reception and settlement, while also leaving unresolved questions about legal status, operational responsibility and long-term support for transferred individuals.

Officials describe full funding as one of five core principles underpinning Antigua and Barbuda’s counter-proposal to the United States.

The others include preserving the country’s sovereign discretion to approve or reject every proposed transfer, limiting eligibility to carefully screened individuals with final removal orders, restricting any arrangement to no more than 10 people during 2026, and protecting Antigua and Barbuda’s legal and sovereign interests throughout the process.

Despite setting out strict financial safeguards, the Government says those protections alone would not be enough to secure Antigua and Barbuda’s participation.

The White Paper states that if the country is to assist the United States by receiving third-country nationals, there must also be meaningful reciprocal benefits in the national interest beyond reimbursement of costs, including consideration of lifting blanket U.S. visa restrictions affecting Antiguan and Barbudan citizens.

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