Govt pushing to address US concerns, confident matters will be resolved

Discussions have been ongoing with the US State Department to address several concerns that were raised during talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Government has been increasing their focus this week, following recent reports which indicated that Antigua and Barbuda was among several countries to possibly be sanctioned by the US.

A recently leaked memo from the U.S. government reveals that Antigua and Barbuda, along with three other countries in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)—Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia—may soon face U.S. visa restrictions.

This document, reported by The Washington Post, highlights the potential for travel limitations affecting citizens from 36 nations unless they comply with new U.S. immigration criteria within a tight 60-day window.

Dated June 14, 2025, and signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo expresses grave concerns regarding the implications of selling citizenship without sufficient residency requirements.

While government can neither confirm or deny the accuracy of these reports, they were however aware of the concerns from the US.

In May, Rubio met with Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US Sir Ronald Saunders where these concerns along with the agreement of Cuban doctors was discussed at length.

PM Browne, at the time, had mentioned that the meeting ended on a good note with the government making assurances to tie up some loose ends.

According to Maurice Merchant, those loose ends are being dealt with.

“There are meetings planned this morning with the Honorable Prime Minister, officials of the Ministry of Finance, and also bankers to ensure that the process of the Cuban medical practitioners and other individuals in Antigua and Barbuda are able to establish banking facilities with the local banks in a fast fashion.

“Some have complained that it has been very tedious to establish bank accounts in Antigua and Barbuda, and that has been one of the challenges faced by theCuban practitioners here and so government is meeting, the Prime Minister, led by the Prime Minister and his team, will be meeting with the bankers today, this morning.

“So, concerns are being addressed, some of which, of course, we cannot divulge because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations or the discussions that are being held,” Merchant explained.

He is confident that once these matters are addressed then there would no further cause for concern.