PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Saturday said the 15-member regional integration grouping, Caricom, will not determine the future of her twin island republic and that it “is not a reliable partner at this time”.

“An organisation that chooses to disparage our greatest ally the United States but lends support to the Maduro narco-government headed by a dictator who has imprisoned and killed thousands of civilians and opposition members as well as threatened two Caricom members is one that has clearly lost its way,” Persad-Bissessar said in a statement.

She said that on December 16, the US government issued a fact sheet outlining the decision by President Donald Trump to further restrict and limit the entry of certain foreign nationals in the interest of United States national security.

“The fact sheet detailed the justification for the partial suspension of entry for immigrants and nonimmigrants under the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa categories, and referenced the historical operation of Citizenship by Investment programmes without residency requirements in both Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.

“I have taken note of a subsequent statement issued by the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). In its statement, the Bureau expressed concern about the restrictions that the US government announced on December 16, 2025.”

Persad-Bissessar said that she was advising citizens of Trinidad and Tobago that Port of Spain “is not a party to the statement issued by the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government.

“I acknowledge the right of the Bureau of the Conference to express its views. However, the Trinidad and Tobago government maintains its own position on the matter and recognises the sovereign right of the United States to make decisions in furtherance of its best interests.

“I hold the view that every sovereign state is responsible for its foreign and domestic policy choices and must be prepared to accept the concomitant consequences. The exercise of power by the United States of America to advance their best interests must therefore be seen as a measured response to the conduct of other nations in the realities of the current environments that they place themselves in”.

In its statement, the Caricom Bureau, made up of the prime ministers of Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada, said it had taken note of the visa situation and that while it ”recognises the right of countries to implement policies regulating entry to their borders, nevertheless, the Bureau expresses concern that this decision was taken without prior consultation, especially in circumstances of its potential adverse effects on legitimate travel, people-to-people exchanges, and the social and economic well-being of these small states”.

The Caricom Bureau said it is also concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the status of existing visas after 1 January 2026.

”The Bureau urges an early engagement by the United States with the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica to clarify the proclamation and address outstanding concerns, consistent with the strong and longstanding partnership between the United States of America and CARICOM.

”Caricom remains committed to dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect, shared interests and the rule of law as we seek to secure the prosperity of the region and its citizens,” it added.

But Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has been critical of the Bureau’s statement, saying despite being advised by him “that the issue was resolved and that it would be superfluous circulating this statement after the fact,” Caricom still went ahead and issued a statement.

He said the Caricom position came “especially in consideration of their inertia and initial luke warm support”.

Prime Minister Browne also took the opportunity to criticise an unnamed Caricom leader saying that it had been “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.

READ: Antigua’s Browne chides Caricom over US visa statement, slams unnamed leader

“The inertia and insularity within Caricom continue to undermine the effectiveness of our integration movement,” Browne wrote, adding that “however, as a hardcore integrationist and an eternal optimist, I remain hopeful for a stronger and more effective integration movement”.

In her statement, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar her government “does not bind itself to the political ideologies or foreign, economic and security policies of any other Caricom member government.

“Member governments are free to make decisions in the best interests of their citizens,” she said, adding “Caricom is not a reliable partner at this time.

“The fact is that beneath the thin mask of unity, there are many widening fissures that if left unaddressed will lead to its implosion. The organisation is deteriorating rapidly due to poor management, lax accountability, factional divisions, destabilising policies, private conflicts between regional leaders and political parties and the inappropriate meddling in the domestic politics of member states. That’s the plain truth. ”

Persad-Bissessar said that Caricom cannot continue to operate in “this dysfunctional and self-destructive manner as it is a grave disservice to the people of the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean community must face the rot within the organisation with transparency and honesty. Hiding behind the glibness of diplomacy, fake sophistication and false narratives is self-defeating”.

She warned of “repercussions” for supporting supporting Maduro, adding “we must all live with the consequences of our actions.

“Our citizens can rest assured that I will always make decisions that put Trinidad and Tobago first,” she added.