PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar is facing mounting criticism at home and abroad following comments linking United States visa restrictions imposed on some Caribbean countries to what she described as “badmouthing” Washington, remarks that have drawn sharp responses from regional leaders and Opposition figures.

The controversy erupted after Persad-Bissessar, speaking at a Christmas dinner on Thursday night, warned against criticising the United States, citing Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica as examples.

“Careful, you don’t end up like Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica who badmouthing the US, and guess what happen, all their visas restricted now. They cut their visas. Which Trini wants to cut their visas? So behave yourself,” she said.

Earlier this week, the United States announced that Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were among 15 countries to face partial travel restrictions from January 1, 2026, citing concerns about their Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes, which allow foreigners to obtain passports in exchange for financial contributions.

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne responded strongly, calling on Persad-Bissessar to substantiate her claims.

While not naming her directly, Browne wrote on social media: “It was brought to my attention that one of our colleague heads, instead of standing in solidarity, publicly accused us of cursing the US administration. I challenge that leader to back her statement with facts.”

Following discussions with senior officials of the United States Department of State, the Office of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda later confirmed that all valid visas already issued to holders of Antiguan and Barbudan passports would continue to be honoured for entry into the US. These include tourist, business and student visas, with no revocation of visas issued prior to December 31, 2025.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Persad-Bissessar’s remarks triggered criticism from Opposition figures, including former foreign affairs minister Dr Amery Browne, who described her as an unprincipled leader.

“Her rambling utterances demonstrate that on one hand she views herself as exempt from international law and the UN Charter, whilst on the other hand she advances a domestic agenda aimed at suppressing free speech and avoiding accountability and transparency for official decisions and positions taken by the government,” he said.

Dr Browne added that the prime minister was using the challenges faced by smaller Caribbean states to intimidate the population.

“After her years in opposition, crying wolf about this nation becoming a dictatorship, the current Prime Minister has taken us precisely in the direction of a fascist leader who will use any excuse to suppress those who question her agenda,” he said.

Opposition MP Stuart Young also weighed in, accusing the prime minister of damaging regional and bilateral relations.

“It is disturbing and, quite frankly, sad to observe how quickly and flippantly Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar has harmed Caricom as an important institution. She has also disrespected and burnt important bilateral relations with our neighbours, as can be seen from the public post of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,” Young stated.

“Diplomacy was an art form that, when properly understood and practised, permits countries to find middle ground and even to take positions without harming others and your own sovereignty long term,” he added.

Former Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley also issued a statement criticising Persad-Bissessar’s approach to foreign relations and regional engagement, less than a day after she again described Caricom as dysfunctional.

Rowley said that since Independence in 1962, he had not seen a leader he regarded as more unpatriotic or incompetent, accusing the prime minister and her administration of reducing Trinidad and Tobago to what he described as a vassal state “taking secret instructions from another country and issuing dire warnings that we should ‘behave ourselves’ lest we offend the United Stats and lose our access to US visas”.

He further warned that Trinidad and Tobago’s public withdrawal from Caricom matters placed the country in a dangerous position, suggesting it was driven by expectations of protection or reward from the United States.

“To so publicly withdraw from pertinent Caricom issues and decisions is as close to being a dangerous fifth-columnist as we could get. To wear the shame of that in the hope of reward and protection from the United States is as feckless and ignorant as one can be. Our nation is now oblivious to history and the failings of others, to whom she now genuflects not in mutual respect but in obeisance and adoration,” the former PM said.
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“‎What a thing! This from a woman to whom a special majority was handed in a recent general election, who militarises our islands yet refuses to come before the nation to tell us what she has agreed to in her dealings with US authorities, and who flatly refuses to stand before the local media to be questioned about her treacherous and defiant edicts. She even describes our urgent need to know as being anti-American.”

In closing, Rowley expressed concern about the country’s future, saying that while there was hope for change, the outlook under current circumstances remained uncertain.