LETTER: Is the U.S trying to send a message to us about our governments?

Letter to the Editor: As a Law-Abiding Citizen, I Want to Know Why

Sir,

As a citizen of the Eastern Caribbean who has always respected U.S. immigration laws, the recent decision to impose visa bonds of up to US$15,000 on nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica feels less like a policy measure and more like a punishment — and one I do not understand.

I have never overstayed a visa. Neither have most people I know. In fact, the United States’ own overstay reports repeatedly show that Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica rank among the lowest visa overstay rates in the region, well below countries such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

So I am left asking a simple but troubling question: if we are among the most compliant, why are we being treated as high-risk?

For the average citizen, a US$15,000 bond is not a deterrent — it is a door slammed shut. It means missed family events, lost educational opportunities, business that never happens, and connections quietly severed. It tells people like me that our personal history and record no longer matter.

What makes this even more unsettling is that this decision follows closely on partial visa restrictions imposed on Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica from January 1.

When viewed together, these actions feel deliberate, not incidental. They raise an uncomfortable suspicion that this is not really about overstays at all.

So I ask, as someone who will be directly affected: is the United States sending a message to our governments? And if so, why are ordinary citizens being made the messengers?

If there are concerns about governance, diplomacy, or policies at the state level, then say so openly.

Do not quietly tighten the screws on law-abiding people while offering explanations that do not align with the facts. That approach only breeds confusion, anxiety, and mistrust.

I have always believed that compliance mattered. Today, I am being told — without explanation — that it may no longer be enough. And that is what hurts most.

Yours faithfully,
A concerned citizen

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