Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday distanced Trinidad and Tobago from a recent Caribbean Community (CARICOM) statement criticising new United States visa restrictions, asserting that the country recognises Washington’s sovereign right to act in its own national interest and warning that regional decisions carry consequences.
In a media statement titled “Our National Interest First, We Must All Live with The Consequences of Our Actions,” Persad-Bissessar said Trinidad and Tobago was “not a party to the statement issued by the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)” following the December 16, 2025 announcement by the United States (U.S) government.
On that date, the U.S issued a fact sheet outlining a decision by President Donald J. Trump to further restrict and limit the entry of certain foreign nationals in the interest of US national security. The fact sheet cited a partial suspension of entry for immigrants and non-immigrants under the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visa categories, and referenced the historical operation of Citizenship by Investment programmes without residency requirements in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.
The CARICOM Bureau subsequently issued a statement expressing concern about the US measures. However, Persad-Bissessar made clear that Port of Spain does not share that position.
“I acknowledge the right of the Bureau of the Conference to express its views. However, the Trinidad and Tobago government maintains its own position on the matter and recognises the sovereign right of the United States to make decisions in furtherance of its best interests,” she said.
The Prime Minister said she holds the view that “every sovereign state is responsible for its foreign and domestic policy choices and must be prepared to accept the concomitant consequences.” She added that “the exercise of power by the United States of America to advance their best interests must therefore be seen as a measured response to the conduct of other nations in the realities of the current environments that they place themselves in.”
Persad-Bissessar further stated that Trinidad and Tobago does not align itself automatically with the political or policy positions of other CARICOM members.
“Trinidad and Tobago’s government does not bind itself to the political ideologies or foreign, economic and security policies of any other CARICOM member government. Member governments are free to make decisions in the best interests of their citizens,” she said.
In unusually blunt language, the Prime Minister criticised the regional body itself, declaring that “CARICOM is not a reliable partner at this time.” She argued that “beneath the thin mask of unity, there are many widening fissures that if left unaddressed will lead to its implosion.”
According to Persad-Bissessar, “the organisation is deteriorating rapidly due to poor management, lax accountability, factional divisions, destabilising policies, private conflicts between regional leaders and political parties and the inappropriate meddling in the domestic politics of member states.” She added: “That’s the plain truth.”
She warned that CARICOM “cannot continue to operate in this dysfunctional and self-destructive manner as it is a grave disservice to the people of the Caribbean,” and called on the region to confront internal problems openly. “The Caribbean community must face the rot within the organisation with transparency and honesty. Hiding behind the glibness of diplomacy, fake sophistication and false narratives is self-defeating,” she said.
The Prime Minister also took aim at what she described as inconsistent regional alliances, stating that “an organisation that chooses to disparage our greatest ally the United States but lends support to the Maduro narco-government headed by a dictator who has imprisoned and killed thousands of civilians and opposition members as well as threatened two CARICOM members is one that has clearly lost its way.”
“There are repercussions for this stance. We must all live with the consequences of our actions,” she warned.
Persad-Bissessar concluded by reaffirming her government’s priorities, telling citizens that “I will always make decisions that put Trinidad and Tobago first. CARICOM will not determine our future, only the citizens of our country will choose our path.”
See full statement below:
