Last Updated on February 11, 2025, 3:22 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Dr. Terrance Drew, the prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, spoke about the potential impact of the United States of America’s twin decisions of imposing tariffs and deporting unlawful immigrants to their home countries during the the year’s second roundtable conference with the media in Basseterre
Further Dr Drew also shared the plan that his government is prioritizing to deal with the situation.
The Labour leader emphasized the importance of the twin island-nation’s economic self-sufficiency and the security and dignity of its citizens while talking about ways to tackle the menace of tariff wars and deportation.
Answering a couple of journalists on questions related to the two external problems that Basseterre faces, PM Drew said people of the island are seeing their cost of living going up despite having nothing to do with the tariff wars between other nations.
PM Drew on US tariffs
“Can you imagine that? You’re in St. Kitts and Nevis, have nothing to do with what’s happening and your cost of living going up because there’s tariffs that one country put on another country. With respect to the tariffs, the tariffs can have an impact on us and will have an impact on us. Again, [it] can trouble the cost of living,” he said.
The US has imposed tariffs on several countries, particularly Canada, Mexico and China, after Donald Trump took over as the president for the second time in January 2025.
The step has added to the concerns of the Caribbean nations since they are dependent on supplies from the US and the tariffs would increase the prices of essential goods and financial burden on the end-users in the Caribbean. The supply chain could also face disruptions.
The prime minister, who revealed during the same event that St. Kitts and Nevis has secured full funding for the geothermal energy project which will enhance its Sustainable Island State Agenda, reiterated that the country needs to become self-sufficient all the more to mitigate the impact of external factors such as tariffs and global instability.
“That is why we need a sustainable island state to sustain ourselves so that when they have their issues, their issues are not impacting us so greatly down here… We need a sustainable island state. We need to be as self-sufficient as possible. And it starts with energy,” he said, emphasizing “Create your own.”
Like several other Caribbean states, St. Kitts and Nevis imports a high percentage of its food, with data till 2023 showing its imports valued at $200 million. With the effects of global inflation, the people of the island-state are already feeling the pinch of rising prices.
A number of Caribbean nations are eyeing to reach their ’25 by 25’ mission, which means slashing food imports by 25 per cent by the end of 2025.
Deportation from US
On the possible deportation of citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis from the US, PM Drew said his government is committed to treating the returning citizens with respect and dignity.
“All of our citizens will be treated with respect and dignity, irrespective of everything else, because underlying citizen security is that every life is precious, and every citizen resident must be treated with that humanity and dignity,” he remarked.
The prime minister said the country was also coming up with a policy to deal with the deportees which will include recommendations from regional security forces.
He said once people are seen to be deported from the US, the St. Kittian and Nevisian government will gather information about their background. They would not be released soon after arriving back and be questioned for profiling before further action is taken.
Drew also said that each case would be assessed separately to determine the level of security risk.
“So if you come in, let’s say you were just a peaceful person in the United States, but you just didn’t have your papers. You’re not a security risk to us. So then that can go forward. But if you, let’s say you come out of prison with a serious charge, you are a security risk for us. And then the approach is different because we will not tolerate in this country any unlawful behaviour,” Drew added.
The PM said St. Kitts and Nevis would embrace its citizens back home despite the security concerns.
“We are open, and we will accept our citizens from wherever they are. This is their home. We tell them this is your home, and you are welcome back. Their constitutional rights will be respected,” he said while acknowledging that countries have rights to enforce deportation laws and it is upon them to do their bit to protect the deportees’ dignity.
In November 2024, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed that 68 nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis feature among 1,445,549 individuals on a non-detained docket with final orders of removal from American soil. These people are awaiting deportation but are still in the US owing to various legal and logistical difficulties. The list also included people from several other states in the Caribbean region.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
