Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica have reached a deal with the U.S. to host asylum seekers who cannot return to their homelands, the Miami Herald reported.
In a controversial move, officials made the confirmation in early January 2026, which is likely to spark debate due to the islands’ already struggling with several challenges, including increased gun violence, fragile tourism, and migration. In a statement, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit linked the decision to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that placed Dominica, along with Antigua and Barbuda, under a partial travel ban by the U.S. State Department.
Skerrit said they “have agreed to facilitate third-country refugees to be sent to Dominica to mitigate scenarios where the United States cannot return these individuals to a state of birth or origin.”
However, opposition leader Joshua Francis of the United Progressive Party criticized the Prime Minister’s lack of transparency.
Francis is thinking more about how the nation will sustain responsibility for deportees, “when we have yet to address the housing needs of our own people fully.” Since the September 2017 Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit the island of Dominica, with a population of roughly 72,000, the island has struggled with a housing shortage, raising concerns for the leader. “We are not opposed to
humanitarian assistance in principle, but such decisions must be made transparently, with full consultation, and with careful consideration of our national capacity, security, and the welfare of Dominican citizens,” he said.The Trump administration raised concerns about Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, which permits a foreign national to obtain a passport in exchange for financial investments.
Antigua also services a similar program, also known as “golden passports,” which has been a prime revenue stream for the islands. Still, in the eyes of the Trump Administration, it is used as leverage to expand the immigration agenda, seeking ways to properly vet wealthy individuals who can obtain citizenship with minimum investments of $100,000 to $250,000.
As for Antigua and Barbuda, with a population of close to 94,000 people, the nation signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding “as part of its global efforts to share responsibility for refugees already present in its territory,” according to Associated Press. The only asylum seekers the island won’t accept are those with criminal records.
To expand on its anti-immigration policies, the U.S. government is rumored to be in similar talks with countries such as Belize and Paraguay, putting pressure on the nations in Latin America and Africa to welcome asylum-seekers with open arms. Uganda shared Antigua’s stance, willing to accept migrants but not those with criminal pasts.
The African nation reached an August 2025 agreement with the U.S., known around the world for its migrant and refugee policy. But governments are issuing warnings to the U.S. as they have made mistakes in the past, citing five men with criminal backgrounds deported to Eswatini and eight more to South Sudan.
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