CaribbeanLife .com | Monday, June 16, 2025 
Trump again threatens travel restrictions for Caribbean nationals

Just weeks after Caribbean leaders met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington and the Caribbean to discuss several issues, all indications now point to a request for another mini-summit following the Trump administration’s threats to restrict travel for nationals from some nations that have the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP). Rubio had flown to Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname, where he had met leaders on a range of issues, including Washington’s controversial threat to nix travel for government and other officials linked to the Cuban medical brigade program. Since then, several Caribbean Community nations, including Guyana, the Bahamas, and Antigua, have pledged to make significant amendments to the system used to pay Cuban doctors, nurses, and other professionals to comply with US demands. Rubio and President Trump had accused regional nations of giving part, rather than full payments, to the professionals while allowing the sanctioned Cuban government to collect the majority of monthly salaries as a way around economic restrictions. The threats have since receded, but several nations are now bracing for a new outright travel ban or a restricted system because of several grouses from Washington, including its discomfort with nations selling local citizenship and passports for cash to foreigners willing to invest in real estate or other development ventures. The US and Western nations are adamant that these…Read more