US reaches deals to send asylum seekers to Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda; locals concerned about pressure on resources
The US has reached an agreement with Dominica, as well as Antigua and Barbuda, to send asylum seekers to these Caribbean nations. Concerns about resource strain have emerged among Dominicans amid ongoing negotiations regarding travel restrictions.
The United States has reached a deal with Dominica on Monday (local time), in which the former will start sending foreigners seeking asylum in the US to the small Caribbean nation.
Roosevelt Skerrit, the Prime Minister of Dominica, described the deal, as per The Associated Press, as “one of the primary areas of collaboration,” with the US after the country was hit by partial visa restricts as per Trump's travel ban on 39 countries last year, which took effect from 1 January.
Skerrit, however, did not provide any details regarding when the US would start sending asylum seekers into Dominica.
He has insisted that his country is not interested in taking in individuals with a violent past, saying, as per AP, “there have been careful deliberations of the need to avoid receiving violent individuals or individuals who will compromise the security of Dominica.”
This deal comes at a time when the Dominican government is negotiating with US authorities regarding the travel restrictions. It had earlier said that it "continues its engagement with the United States Embassy in Bridgetown and the State Department in Washington … in an effort to reverse a decision announced by the White House to impose partial travel restrictions on Dominican nationals, effective January 1, 2026," as per Fox News.
The outlet also quoted the Dominican government saying that US authorities have said that their citizens who hold valid visas "can travel to the U.S. and its territories as is customary."
Concerns in Dominica
Dominicans, after the announcements regarding taking in US asylum seekers was revealed on Monday, have been worried about this decision going on to put a strain on their resources in the days to come, as per an interview of Thomson Fontaine, leader of the country’s main opposition party, with AP.
“The prime minister still has not told the Dominican public what exactly he has agreed to, in terms of the numbers of persons that are going to come to Dominica, where will they be housed, how will they be taken care of,” Fontaine told the news agency.
Dominica is not the only country which has signed such a deal with the US. On Monday, even Antigua and Barbuda announced that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) proposed by the US “as part of its global efforts to share responsibility for refugees already present in its territory.”