Port of Spain, Trinidad — On Monday, the United States reached an agreement with Dominica To begin sending foreigners seeking asylum in the United States to the small Caribbean nation.
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described the deal as “one of the key areas of cooperation” after the country was recently hit with partial US visa restrictions. The government of Dominica is in talks with US officials to try to resolve entry restrictions into the United States.
Skerrit did not provide any further details, including when the United States would begin sending asylum seekers to Dominica.
Skerrit said that during discussions with the US State Department, “there was careful deliberation about the need to avoid receiving violent individuals or individuals who might jeopardize the security of Dominica.”
Dominica has a population of about 72,000, and Monday’s announcement has many locals concerned about whether the island has enough resources to accommodate asylum seekers within its population, according to Thompson Fontaine, leader of the country’s main opposition party.
“The prime minister has not yet told the Dominican public exactly what he agreed to, in terms of the numbers of people who will come to Dominica, where they will be housed, how they will be taken care of,” Fontaine told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
The administration of US President Donald Trump signed similar agreements with countries including: Belize And Paraguay, as is the case He continues to put pressure on countries In Latin America and Africa to receive asylum seekers.
Antigua and Barbuda also announced on 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 already on its territory.” Local government officials said Antigua and Barbuda would not accept anyone with a criminal record.
Last month, the Trump administration announced this Expanded travel restrictions To an additional 20 countries, including Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, the only Caribbean countries on that list. The restrictions went into effect on January 1.