Antigua and Barbuda is insisting on firm funding and support guarantees before accepting third-country nationals deported from the United States, as negotiations between the two governments approach completion.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne said discussions on the proposed migration arrangement are nearing their conclusion. However, he explained that financial compensation will be handled through a separate agreement rather than included in the main arrangement.

Browne said the government wants to avoid a situation in which people are accepted without the necessary financial assistance in place. He noted that some countries may have received deportees before securing funding commitments.

Under the proposed framework, the United States would finance an international organisation acceptable to both governments to coordinate services for people transferred to Antigua and Barbuda. The organisation’s involvement would depend on its own policies, responsibilities and risk assessment, along with a separate agreement with the Antiguan and Barbudan government.

Browne stressed that no transfers will take place until the necessary agreement has been finalised and the support arrangements are ready to operate.

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