LISTEN: PM Browne Likens U.S. Deportee Issue To Holding A ‘Gun to Our Heads’

Browne: U.S. Holding ‘Gun to Our Heads’ Over Deportee Agreement

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the United States is holding “a gun to our heads” by pressuring Antigua and Barbuda to accept a third-country deportee agreement without safeguards, insisting his administration will not agree to terms that could expose the country to criminals or individuals with serious health conditions.

Using a stark analogy during his weekly Pointe FM programme on Saturday, Browne said the government was being asked to accept an arrangement that could ultimately harm the country’s security and overwhelm its limited resources.

“A situation in which a man holding a gun to your head. So that’s what the United States is doing right now, holding a gun to our heads,” Browne said. “The man telling you, ‘Here’s some poison, drink it.’ Well, only drink the poison and die. You have to shoot me. I’m not drinking the poison.”

Browne made the comments while outlining Antigua and Barbuda’s negotiating position on a proposed memorandum of understanding under which the country would accept third-country nationals deported from the United States.

He rejected suggestions that the government was refusing to cooperate, saying instead that it is seeking a “sensible agreement” that protects Antigua and Barbuda’s national interests.

“We’re not resisting signing,” Browne said. “We just want a sensible agreement. We do not want people who are criminals. We don’t want people who are sick. We don’t want anyone who can become a charge.”

According to Browne, the government has told U.S. officials that anyone transferred under the agreement must first undergo criminal background checks and medical screening.

“We have asked them to ensure they have no criminal background,” he said. “They must do the due diligence and let us know whether or not they have any criminal background, whether or not they have any illness or they must send their health information as well.”

The prime minister said Antigua and Barbuda is prepared to accept only individuals whose sole offence was violating U.S. immigration laws, noting that his administration has traditionally regularized undocumented migrants through amnesty programmes rather than treating them as criminals.

“The only crime that we will accept… is if they had some immigration violation,” Browne said.

Browne said U.S. officials initially argued they could not include language stating that criminals would not be sent to Antigua because immigration violations are treated as criminal offences under American law.

He said Antigua responded by proposing language that would specifically exempt immigration offences while excluding people convicted of more serious crimes.

“We said to them… they can word the agreement in such a way. They say no criminals with the exception of those who may have broken your immigration laws.”

The prime minister argued that Antigua and Barbuda does not have the capacity to manage sophisticated criminals deported from a country as large as the United States.

“I also said to them that we don’t have the sophistication to deal with very sophisticated criminals,” Browne said. “They learn the skills right in those countries, including the United States, and you’re going to send them back here? What do you think of that? You’re going to destroy our country.”

Browne said the government also insisted that deportees arrive with valid travel documents and should not become a long-term burden on Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare or social services.

“If the United States, which has an economy of over US$30 trillion, doesn’t want them because of the strain on its health care and welfare systems, then imagine the strain on a small country like Antigua and Barbuda,” he said.

The prime minister disclosed that Antigua and Barbuda had previously indicated it would accept no more than 10 deportees if adequate protections were included in the agreement. However, he said the government became more cautious after observing a similar arrangement involving El Salvador.

“When we observed what would have happened in El Salvador, in which they took criminals, I said… we have to be very careful if we just sign this memorandum of understanding without any preconditions. We may end up getting a ton of criminals.”

Browne suggested the country’s insistence on those conditions may already have had diplomatic consequences, saying he believes U.S. visa restrictions imposed on Antigua and Barbuda earlier this year were linked to the negotiations.

Despite that, he said the government would continue defending the country’s position.

“You do not get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate,” Browne said.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]