Prime Minister Gaston Browne has warned that Antigua and Barbuda will not become a refuge for criminals from Jamaica or any other country, saying non-nationals involved in serious crime will be removed.
The prime minister made the declaration while discussing recent shootings and robberies, including the killing of a man in Swetes and arrests arising from the Buckleys Line service-station robbery.
Browne said police had privately raised concerns weeks earlier about an increase in criminal activity involving some Jamaican nationals. He stressed that the comments were not an attack on Jamaicans generally and pointed to his government’s amnesties and grants of citizenship to CARICOM nationals.
“We have accepted them not just as CARICOM nationals, but as our brothers and sisters,” he said. “Those Jamaicans who are here should understand that if you are a law-abiding resident, or even a Jamaican who has naturalised, we have an obligation to protect you as well.”
According to Browne, a Jamaican was among the accused in the service-station robbery. He also said authorities had recently deported Trinidadian and Vincentian nationals suspected of criminal activity.
Commenting on the Swetes homicide, Browne said preliminary information shared with him suggested the killing may have been drug-related, but he made clear that he was relying on law-enforcement information and could be corrected.
“When you come to our country, we expect you to be law-abiding citizens,” Browne said. “Antigua and Barbuda will never be a safe haven for criminals, no matter where they emanate from.”
He said the policy would apply equally to people arriving from the Caribbean, Europe, North America, South America, Asia or elsewhere.
Browne also criticised legal challenges that delay deportations, arguing that while attorneys have a duty to represent clients, the wider safety of the community must remain part of the balance.
I understand the concern about crime, but let’s not paint every Jamaican with the same brush. If somebody commits a crime, deal with that individual, not an entire nationality.