Trump administration reaches deal with Dominica to send US asylum seekers
The United States reached a deal with Dominica on Monday to begin sending foreigners seeking U.S. asylum to the small Caribbean nation after pressure from the Trump administration that included visa restrictions.
Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called the agreement “one of the important areas of cooperation” after the country recently faced partial visa restrictions and restrictions on entry to the United States.
Skerrit did not provide any other details, including when the United States would begin sending refugees to Dominica. However, the Dominican prime minister noted that during discussions with the US State Department, restrictions were imposed on people with a history of violence.
FILE – Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit attends the second annual CARICOM-India Summit in Georgetown, Guyana, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 – Matias Delacroix/Copyright 2024 AP. All rights reserved
“There were careful discussions about the need to avoid accepting violent individuals or persons who would endanger the security of Dominica,” Skerritt said.
The announcement left many local residents concerned about whether the small Caribbean nation of about 72,000 people had enough resources to absorb the refugees, according to Thomson Fontaine, leader of the country’s main opposition party.
“The Prime Minister still hasn’t told the people of Dominica exactly what he agreed to in terms of the number of people who will come to Dominica, where those people will be housed and how they will be cared for,” Fontaine told The Associated Press.
While US President Donald Trump’s administration continues to pressure countries in Latin America and Africa to take in refugees, it has signed similar agreements with countries including Belize and Paraguay.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves walks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit at the State Department, May 6, 2025 -Kevin Wolf/Copyright 2025 AP. All rights reserved
Antigua and Barbuda also announced Monday that it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding proposed by the United States “as part of its global efforts to share responsibility for refugees present on its territory.”
Antigua and Barbuda also will not accept anyone with a criminal record, local government officials said.
Last month, the Trump administration announced it would expand travel restrictions to 20 more countries, including Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, the only Caribbean countries on the list. The restrictions came into force at the beginning of the year.
