Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that his government is finalizing the agreement with the United States to accept third-country refugees to Dominica.
This decision forms part of ongoing discussions with the United States, following the December 16, 2025, proclamation introducing partial visa restrictions.
During a press conference this week, the PM gave an update on the process.
“The draft agreement that we have is that the United States has proposed to send to Dominica seven people per quarter,” he said. “We have four quarters in the year, so in the year will be twenty-eight, no more than twenty-eight persons. So, that is the understanding.”
He continued, “It is not the hundreds people are saying or the thousands. And the truth is Dominica needs thousands of people more insofar as the agreement, and we are hoping to finalize the agreement this week.”
According to the Prime Minister, his government is engaging the services of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to manage this agreement from an operational standpoint on behalf of the Government of Dominica.
“There are some logistical issues we have to put in place, and we are working with IOM and the United States on this,” Skerrit stated. “We have to determine whether they are going to be renting individual locations or they rent one building…because some of the people may want to move on, because they may not stay in Dominica permanently, they may want to move on back to their country of origin and of course the financial aspect of it is something that we are in discussions with so that we are not out of pocket.”
The legendary Redd Foxx in his inimitable character role of Fred Sanford would have retorted “you BIG dummy” upon reading this word salad of a feedback provided by the “Grand Poobah”.
“Dominica needs thousands of people”
Where you going to put them, hush your mouth eh little boy
No proper infrastructure you just running your mouth, oh wait you can put them in all them hotels you all building that empty
Dominica diaspora population is larger than the number that resides in the island. Why have these citizens stubbornly refused to return home?
They fully well know if they return home, they will be confronted with hardship, poverty, hunger, bad roads, contaminated rivers, starvation wages, high unemployment, political tribalism, poor healthcare and numerous communicable and none communicable illnesses.
Roosevelt’s statement about accepting DEPORTEES in Dominica could be advantageous to the country, is a snake oil salesman marketing pitch.