BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew on Friday (June 20) sought to clarify the government’s position regarding a leaked U.S. State Department memo, which allegedly lists St. Kitts and Nevis—along with several other Caribbean nations—as being at risk of a potential travel ban.
The report, which first surfaced in international media, has triggered regional confusion. Leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis have all confirmed that they have not received any official communication about such a ban.
In response, these governments have reached out to the U.S. Embassy and State Department for clarification.
Concerns reportedly raised by the U.S. government focus on 36 countries—some within the OECS—that allegedly have not met certain compliance benchmarks, including those related to Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes.
Several leaders, including Dr. Drew, have come under public scrutiny in the wake of the report. The Prime Minister, in response, addressed the issue and outlined the steps his government has taken to date.
Speaking on ZIZ Radio yesterday (Jun.20), Dr. Drew confirmed that he became aware of the report after it was published by international outlets and picked up locally. He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately contacted the U.S. Embassy in Barbados.
"At that time, the embassy indicated that they had not received any formal communication about this so-called list, and so they had not at that time [had] any information to share with respect to that,," Dr. Drew stated.
The Federation’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States, Jacinth Henry-Martin, has since engaged directly with the State Department.
“Coming out of that meeting, fundamentally is to say that they are waiting for an update from the Embassy in Barbados on communication with the State Department to determine what is the way forward with this,” Dr. Drew explained.
As of now, the government has not received any official notification. “So I still can't say that there is any official communication that we are on some kind of list, even as I speak,” Dr Drew stated..
“So again, I will report: Have we received a formal document based on what was reported in the news media? No, we have not. Have our embassy in the United States been in touch with the State Department? Yes, [along] with the other countries, to be proactive about it. Are we awaiting more information? Yes, we are awaiting more information. And so we continue to be in touch and continue to update our people," noted Dr Drew.
Turning to the CBI programme, the Prime Minister confirmed that additional safeguards are being introduced, including a new residency clause.
“I can tell you that a residency clause will be part of the new law. Let me say that clear[ly]: Residency clause and the biometrics, those will be part of the new law, which is to pass very, very soon, within a few weeks," Drew confirmed.
On the issue of deportation, Dr. Drew announced that the Federation has been accepting citizens repatriated from the United States.
“Well, it has not changed. If we have a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis who is in the United States of America, who has violated their laws and so forth, and they have deemed that they want to deport that citizen back to their country, we will receive our citizen back in St. Kitts and Nevis. So our citizens are always welcome back,” he stated.
The police force confirmed that the Federation has seen the return of nine individuals from the United States thus far for this year. Dr Drew, meanwhile, noted that safeguards will be in place to ensure the safety and well-being of local residents when deportees return, and called on the U.S. government to uphold the human rights of individuals during the deportation process.
Since the Trump administration initiated its mass deportation policy, several Caribbean and Latin American governments have expressed concern about the methods used. In some cases, individuals have reportedly been deported in shackles or sent to unfamiliar third-party countries.
The Donald Trump administration has maintained the focus on deporting individuals who have committed criminal offenses or violated the terms of their U.S. visas.
