By Sarah Peter
Dec 18 (Reuters) - Washington's move expanding travel restrictions to include two small Caribbean nations is raising fears of economic disruption in a region where mobility to the United States underpins tourism, education, healthcare and family life.
Republican U.S. President Donald Trump on December 16 added Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Dominica, to a list of countries subject to a partial travel ban, citing concerns about passport security and citizenship-by-investment programs.
Business leaders and residents said the move — which bans entry under visas that had previously allowed temporary visits for tourism or business — threatened to slow local economies, disrupt air travel routes and cut long-standing family ties, even as some Caribbean countries remain outside the formal ban.
“It’s going to have a huge impact here in Antigua and Barbuda,” said Eli Fuller, founder of tour operator Adventure Antigua, noting that many planes bringing tourists to the island often leave with Antiguans traveling to the United States.
“If they’re unable to travel, that leaves empty, well, half-empty flights,” Fuller said.
Tourism accounts for a large share of employment and foreign exchange earnings across the Caribbean, and industry operators warn that reduced passenger volumes could force airlines to cut routes — making destinations harder to reach for international visitors.
Beyond tourism, residents say the restrictions could disrupt education, commerce and access to healthcare — areas that rely heavily on travel to the United States.
“Health is a big reason why a lot of people travel to the United States to seek medical attention, medical expertise that’s available in the United States,” said Darren Matthew-Ward, medical services manager at Brysons Insurance Agency. “That is going to be a big, big, big problem.”
Ward said Trump’s move had triggered widespread anxiety across Antigua and Barbuda because of its reach. “This news has really taken off in Antigua and Barbuda like no other news issue in quite some time because it affects everyone. Everybody’s affected,” he said.
Residents also described immediate disruptions to family life, particularly during the holiday season. “Many people travel to the United States to be with their families for Christmas,” Ward said, adding that some were now reconsidering their plans.
The new policy takes effect on January 1.
One Antiguan business owner, who also works for an international agency and whose family is split currently between the United States and Antigua, said U.S. access was deeply embedded in everyday life.
“Going to the U.S., it’s a big part of growing up,” said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because his employer has not permitted him to speak publicly about political matters. “Whether it’s for shopping, or visiting family, or studying, our lives have been deeply linked to the U.S. in many ways.”
He described being unable to travel to support his elderly mother, a U.S. citizen currently hospitalized — a situation he called “devastating.”
The White House said the expanded restrictions were aimed at addressing national security risks posed by countries with what it called “persistent deficiencies” in screening, vetting and information-sharing systems. In a December 16 proclamation, the administration said weak identity management and record-keeping in some countries made it difficult to assess the risks posed by foreign nationals and could allow individuals to exploit the U.S. visa system.
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne in a statement disputed Trump's claim the country offers Citizenship by Investment "without residency" and said his country had worked with the U.S. over the past year to strengthen safeguards in its program.
"We have engaged in good faith, accepted practical suggestions, and taken concrete steps to ensure that our programme presents no risk whatsoever to the security of the United States," Browne said.
For many in the Caribbean, the travel restrictions are seen as the latest in a series of U.S. policy decisions with outsized effects on small, tourism-dependent economies already grappling with climate change, rising costs and limited economic diversification.
“This is a huge deal. We have never faced anything like this, certainly in living memory,” Ward said.
“What’s going to happen to our economy? What’s going to happen to our people?” Fuller said. “This decision is definitely going to harm our economy. There’s no doubt about it.”
(Reporting by Sarah Peter in St. Lucia; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
