Consul General Joaquin Diaz-Lopez, Chief Immigration Officer Katrina Yearwood and National Security Minister Steadroy Benjamin
The Department of Immigration has firmly rejected social media claims suggesting misconduct during its recent community engagement with members of the Dominican Republic community in Antigua and Barbuda.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Department described the circulating posts as “false and misleading,” noting that the October 24 consultation was a positive and productive event attended by senior officials, including Acting Prime Minister Sir Steadroy Benjamin, Dominican Republic Ambassador Yolanda Alexandra Victoria, Consul General Joaquin Diaz Lopez, and Chief Immigration Officer Katrina Yearwood.
The Department explained that enhanced security procedures were implemented in keeping with regional and international best practices due to the presence of high-level government and diplomatic representatives. “These protocols were designed solely to ensure the safety of all attendees and were applied uniformly and professionally,” the release said.
Officials confirmed that during routine checks, four knives were confiscated and safely returned at the end of the event. However, they dismissed as completely untrue the claim that individuals were required to present passports to gain entry.
“No measures were intended to inconvenience or target members of the Dominican Republic community,” the Department stated, adding that neither Ambassador Victoria nor Consul General Lopez raised any complaints about the proceedings.
Despite the “baseless allegations,” Immigration officials reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue with immigrant communities, emphasizing that these engagements are “vital for building understanding and trust.”
The Department reiterated its dedication to:
- Upholding national security and sovereignty
- Treating all individuals with dignity and respect
- Maintaining transparency in operations
- Continuously reviewing procedures to balance safety and service
- Engaging directly with the public to address genuine concerns
“The safety and security of our nation, its residents, and visitors remain our highest priority,” the statement concluded, assuring that the Department will continue to operate with professionalism and integrity.
Clearly those who designed a plan to harm, hurt and disrupt attendees and the proceedings are incensed that they plans were thwarted. Hence the misleading headlines. The “fact” however that one or more attendee(s) found it necessary to arm themselves with knives to attend a function of this nature is a major cause, or should be, for the local, legitimate citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda. We need to feel safe in our own country.
Who would you go to a meeting with an item considered a weapon?
Hopefully, this puts the issue to rest and restores confidence in the Immigration Department’s efforts.
It’s important that the public knows what actually happened. Meetings like these are about dialogue, not controversy let’s not let gossip take over.