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The United States has reached an agreement with the Commonwealth of Dominica that could allow some asylum seekers who arrive at the US border to be transferred to the Caribbean nation, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described the agreement as “one of the main areas of cooperation” between the two governments following recent US entry restrictions imposed on Dominican nationals.
Skerrit said he has been in talks with US officials after the White House announced partial visa limitations announced on December 16, but declined to provide details on how many asylum seekers could be sent to Dominica or when transfers could begin.
Skerrit’s engagement with US authorities has led to what he called “careful deliberations on the need to avoid receiving individuals who are violent or who compromise the security of Dominica,” underscoring public safety concerns.
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Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit faces opposition criticism over US asylum deal (Commonwealth Government of Dominica)
The government of Dominica continues to publicly address the broader framework of U.S. travel restrictions, going so far as to say that it “continues its engagement with the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown and the Department of State in Washington… in an effort to reverse a decision announced by the White House to impose partial travel restrictions on Dominican nationals, effective January 1, 2026.”
The government then clarified that US authorities have said that Dominican citizens who hold valid US visas, including tourist, business, student and other categories, “can travel to the United States and its territories as usual.” The announcement reaffirms that legal travel will continue under standard immigration laws.
The flag of Dominica is photographed against a clear sky. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
According to the AP, the agreement supposedly conveyed that, like similar pacts with countries such as Belize and Paraguay, the agreement follows broader efforts by the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration to encourage other nations to share responsibility for asylum seekers.
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Some members of Dominica’s political opposition say they are still waiting for answers. Thomson Fontaine, leader of the main opposition party, told the AP that “the prime minister has not yet told the Dominican public what exactly he has agreed to, in terms of the number of people who are coming to Dominica, where they will be housed and how they will be cared for.”
A whale mural by Marcus Cuffi photographed along a street in Roseau, Dominica, Sunday, November 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Clyde K Jno-Baptiste)
Dominica has a population of approximately 72,000 and the announcement leaves many concerned about adequate resources for the island to absorb asylum seekers, according to Fontaine.
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Talks are still ongoing, but officials have so far said little about when the plan would begin or how it would be carried out.