UPP to Hold Public Consultations Ahead of White Paper Debate on US Deportee Proposal

The opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) says it will hold a series of public consultations with residents before Parliament debates the Government’s White Paper on the proposed third-country deportee agreement with the United States.

UPP Political Leader and the party’s sole Member of Parliament, Jamale Pringle, said the consultations are intended to give constituents an opportunity to express their views before the issue is discussed in Parliament during a special sitting expected in the week of July 13.

Although the meetings are expected to take place before the parliamentary debate, the party has not yet announced specific dates or venues.

Pringle said elected representatives have a duty to consult the people they represent before taking positions on matters of national importance.

“We operate within a representative democracy, and representatives should reflect the wishes of the people who elected them,” he said, arguing that Members of Parliament should not make decisions without first seeking the views of their constituents.

The opposition leader said the UPP plans to use the parliamentary debate to question what it considers shortcomings in the Government’s White Paper, including what it says is the absence of supporting documentation outlining the proposed arrangement with the United States.

According to the party, one of its key concerns is why relevant documents connected to the proposal have not been made available to the public.

The UPP said further details on the consultation meetings, including locations and schedules, will be announced in the coming days.

The Government last week published a White Paper outlining proposals by the United States regarding the possible reception in Antigua and Barbuda of certain third-country nationals removed from the US.

According to the Government, the document sets out the background to the discussions, the issues involved for Antigua and Barbuda, the Government’s assessment of the proposals, and the principles and conditions under which any cooperation could be considered.

The White Paper states that the matter raises issues of sovereignty, legal responsibility, public finance, national security, social stability, and Antigua and Barbuda’s international obligations.

It also emphasizes that Antigua and Barbuda, as a small state with limited resources and limited capacity, cannot responsibly accept open-ended obligations involving people who are not its nationals and whose removal is being sought by another country.

The Government has said the White Paper will be laid before Parliament during a special session expected to be convened in the week of July 13.

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