ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The Antigua and Barbuda government has defended its citizenship by investment programme (CBI) amid reports that the Donald Trump administration is reviewing potential visa bans or other restrictions for nationals of 36 countries, including four in the Caribbean.
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia are listed in a leaked State Department memo obtained by The Washington Post, and signed by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and circulated to US diplomatic missions over the last weekend.
The four Caribbean countries named in the memo have previously defended their CBI programmes as legitimate tools for economic development, with safeguards including rigorous due diligence.
Under the CBI programme foreign investors are granted citizenship in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of these countries.
Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P. Chet Greene, addressing a function at the University of the West Indies Five Island Campus on Monday, said Antigua and Barbuda will be “fighting like hell” to defend the CBI programme.
“They want to impose travel restrictions on us; for what reason, God only knows. We will not be bullied; our foreign policy is one of principle,” he told the ceremony, adding that the CBI programme brings much benefits to Antigua and Barbuda and that it is operated with integrity.
“We can defend the CBI; anybody in this room, we are all senior civil servants, anyone of us can defend the CBI. We know that Charmaine Donovan and her staff are all people of impeccable character and that this nation’s integrity is not to be questioned where their work is concerned,” he added.
Donovan, who is the chief executive officer of the Citizenship by Investment Unit, (CIU), said that the country has not been formally notified by the US government about any proposed changes to the visa requirements for nationals.
St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre has also indicated that his country has received no formal statement from Washington on the issue.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that the government of St. Lucia has received no official correspondence on this matter,” Pierre said in a statement on his Facebook page.
“As we act in the best interest of the people of St. Lucia, I reassure you that we are in active discussions with the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, officials from our Ministry of External Affairs, and the Embassy of St. Lucia to the United States in Washington, D.C.
“Once the necessary and accurate information is conveyed through official diplomatic channels, the nation will be officially addressed,” Pierre added.
There has been no official statements from the governments of St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica regarding the Washington Post report.
According to the Washington Post, the memo gives the listed governments 60 days to meet newly defined benchmarks. Governments have been given a deadline of 8 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday to submit an initial action plan outlining how they intend to meet the requirements.
A key concern cited in the memo is the sale of citizenship without a residency requirement. The memo also referenced other issues, such as alleged incidents of “anti-American activity” in the US by nationals of listed countries.
However, the memo also suggests that countries willing to accept third-country nationals removed from the US, or to enter a “safe third country” agreement, could alleviate some of Washington’s concerns.
In addition to the Caribbean nations, the list includes 25 African countries and several from Central Asia and the Pacific.
Look like Antigua is happy Donald Trump has turned on them. Surely this will make way for alternative political incentives. Kudos Antigua.