Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle has accused the Gaston Browne administration of failing to secure meaningful protections for Antigua and Barbuda before agreeing to accept third-country deportees from the United States, charging that the arrangement reflects compliance rather than diplomacy.
According to Antigua News Room, Pringle made the remarks at a United Progressive Party town hall meeting focused on the government's White Paper outlining the proposed deportee arrangement.
"We would have heard the Prime Minister boasting… about his skill in the field of diplomacy," Pringle said. "But again, from reading the document, there is no negotiation. There is a situation that they're sending these persons and we have to accept them."
Pringle pointed out that the White Paper itself indicates the United States submitted draft operating procedures only after the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, with the government later developing counterproposals. He noted, however, that neither the MOU nor those counterproposals have been made available to the public.
He argued that Parliament and citizens are therefore being asked to debate the government's interpretation of the agreement rather than the agreement itself. "The actual text of the MOU remains private," Pringle said, adding that the public can only rely on what the government chose to include in the White Paper.
The opposition leader also questioned the Prime Minister's broader diplomatic record, citing Canada's existing visa restrictions on Antiguan nationals and concerns over the potential loss of visa-free access to the European Union.
"We have not seen that skill," Pringle said. "Because we are under visa restrictions by the U.S. And certainly, to make matters worse, we are looking to lose visa-free access to the EU."
Pringle further criticised the government for committing the country to the arrangement before seeking parliamentary input, describing the process as lacking transparency and meaningful public consultation.
"This situation isn't an easy situation," he said. "And we cannot honestly debate a situation without the information for us to debate the situation."
He also highlighted comments made by the Prime Minister that, in his view, confirm the transfers are no longer a matter of if, but when. "He admitted it's not if they are coming," Pringle said. "He confirmed they're coming."
The government has stated that Parliament will debate the White Paper outlining the proposed third-country deportee arrangement with the United States.
