PM Browne Warns Undocumented Migrants: Regularize Now or Risk Deportation

Undocumented migrants who fail to regularize their immigration status during the government’s 60-day grace period could face deportation, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has warned.

Browne said the government is giving affected individuals an opportunity to legalize their status through the grace period and an ongoing immigration amnesty.

Pay grieving mothers

Poultry Industry Supplies 82% of Caribbean’s Animal Protein, Association Says

“We have given 60 days for them to regularize their status, and, as you know, we also have an ongoing amnesty,” Browne said during the Browne and Browne Show.

He said the government does not intend to criminalize people solely for overstaying at this stage but is tightening enforcement against those who remain in the country illegally or work without authorization.

“If, after giving all of these opportunities to them to regularize their status in the country, they fail to do so, well, they’re at risk for deportation,” Browne said.

The prime minister urged relatives of undocumented migrants to encourage them to use the available programs before the deadline expires.

Browne said the enforcement drive is also intended to identify foreign fugitives and non-nationals allegedly involved in crime or narcotics trafficking. Law-enforcement and immigration authorities have been instructed to locate and deport those individuals.

Antigua Newsroom