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An expanded update to the U.S. travel ban was recently issued by the White House, and among the 15 newly-added countries listed as subject to partial travel restrictions are Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica.
Although it does not amount to a full entry ban, the restrictions would significantly affect the majority of citizens in those two nations and the other 18 countries named (20 in total), because it generally includes the suspension of immigrant visas and select nonimmigrant visa categories. There are also 20 countries with a Full Travel Ban, increased from 12.
There isn’t ambiguity in the proclamation, it explicitly cites Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs as the rationale for restricting the two islands. It is stated that “a foreign national from a country that is subject to travel restrictions could purchase CBI from a second country that is not subject to travel restrictions, obtain a passport in the citizenship of that second country, and subsequently apply for a United States visa for travel to the United States, thus evading the travel restrictions on his or her first country.”
Law enforcement agencies in the US as well as the State Department have determined that “historically, CBI programs have been susceptible to several risks,” and President Donald Trump has asserted unequivocally that these risks include allowing individuals to conceal their identity and assets to circumvent travel restrictions or financial or banking restrictions.
The two Caribbean nations have been taken by surprise.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne declared in a statement that his government is “deeply disappointed that Antigua and Barbuda has been included in this proclamation on the stated ground that our Citizenship by Investment Programme has historically operated without a residency requirement…That proclamation does not reflect the present reality of our laws,”
He said that Parliament recently enacted legislation introducing a mandatory 30-day physical residency requirement as a strict condition for citizenship qualification.
Browne also disclosed that immediately after the proclamation’s release, Antigua’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, contacted the State Department. He said that officials told Sanders they found the proclamation surprising and had received no prior notice of its issuance.
Browne said that Sanders has since initiated arrangements for urgent, high-level engagement with the State Department and the White House for clarification on the matter.
Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said that officials in his country are committed to treating the matter “with the utmost seriousness and urgency”.
He said that they are actively consulting the US Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, to obtain clarification on the scope, basis, and specific implications for Dominican travelers, students, and families. The government pledged to work closely with US authorities to address identified issues and protect Dominican citizens’ interests.
In late June of this year, when there were reports that a development of this nature, involving all CBI programs, was being considered, Prime Minister Drew stated that:
“This administration has received no official notice of any travel ban or restriction on our citizens. From the moment we saw the reports, we moved immediately through all appropriate diplomatic channels… Foreign Affairs got activated. I got in touch with the Embassy of the United States of America in Barbados to get clarification.”
St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia have not been added to the list. Their officials have to get busy. In the current climate, working the diplomatic channels continuously has become imperative.
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