By J. Michael Waller for American Greatness
The U.S. and EU are alarmed that Antigua and Barbuda’s passport program lacks the transparency needed to prevent abuse.
A tiny Caribbean country has issued passports to Iranian nationals, prompting concerns in Washington that terrorists could be entering the U.S. legally on official documents of friendly nations.
The government of Antigua and Barbuda has been on the Trump administration’s radar for well over a year.
Three sources with direct knowledge confirm that the Department of Homeland Security is investigating the government of Antigua and Barbuda for issuing its passports to citizens of Iran, Venezuela, and other countries of concern.
More than a year ago, the Trump administration warned Antigua to clean up its passport system and cooperate with American national security concerns if it wanted to avoid burdensome restrictions on its citizens entering U.S. territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave the country 60 days to begin addressing U.S. security concerns for Antigua passport holders.
U.S. intelligence learned about Antigua’s issuance of passports to Iranians, prompting the Homeland Security investigation.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne ignored Rubio’s deadline.
Browne has acted surprised, disappointed, cooperative, and defiant about U.S. and European concerns over his passport sales.
The tropical island country, a popular destination for cruise ships in the Eastern Caribbean, has a population of roughly 95,000. It generates revenue by granting citizenship to foreigners who invest in the country. This citizenship-by-investment program, known as CBI or CIP, is a common scheme among very small countries to attract money.
Browne was a longtime ally of the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela. His government was the first in the hemisphere to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The White House released the “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine” in November 2025 as a strategy to push Chinese, Iranian, and other enemy influence from the American hemisphere. The corollary is popularly known as the “Donroe Doctrine.”
The next month, President Trump issued a proclamation, citing “foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” to “partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals” from Antigua and Barbuda and 14 other countries.
Trump gave the Browne government until July 1, 2026, to get its act together. Browne acted surprised, as if he had not been warned before. He later claimed to be in “high-level talks” with the Trump administration.
There is no evidence that such senior-level talks took place. The visa restrictions became a hot political issue at home, prompting Browne to call snap elections before the July 1 deadline. During the campaign, he blamed Washington for acting on a “false premise.” After his party won a supermajority for another five years in April, Browne let the U.S. deadline pass.
Foreigners can buy Antigua and Barbuda citizenship for a $230,000 “donation” to a government fund or an investment of as little as $300,000 in real estate. They need to be in the country for only one five-day visit in the first five years of getting their citizenship and never need to return.
Most countries with CBI programs cooperate closely with the United States and Europe to ensure that the new passports aren’t used to provide false identities to bad actors.
However, the U.S. and EU have become alarmed that Antigua and Barbuda, among other countries, have not been transparent.
Months after he took office in 2014, Prime Minister Browne issued an Antigua and Barbuda diplomatic passport to international money launderer Alex Saab. Saab, a Colombian, became a Venezuelan official under the Nicolás Maduro regime. Browne rescinded the passport after Colombia placed a warrant for Saab’s arrest in 2019.
The Trump administration extradited Saab earlier this year.
Allegations have persisted for years that the Browne government has used the CBI for corrupt purposes.
Some Caribbean leaders, including former Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, called CBI programs “an existential threat” and “corrupt.” Browne has insisted all along that the passport program is legal, transparent, and clean.
The EU says that Antigua’s CBI passport program is so hopelessly opaque and corrupt that it must be shut down completely if Antiguans are to continue to enjoy visa-free access. Last week, the EU gave Antigua until June 1, 2028, to phase out its passport sales program completely, or it would strip its passport holders of visa-free access.
Browne responded that he “will not yield to pressure.”
By American Greatness – https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/13/caribbean-islands-sale-of-passports-to-iranian-nationals-raises-counterterrorism-concerns/
