As public concern grows over Saint Lucia’s reported agreement with the United States to accept third-country deportees, Prime Minister Philip J Pierre has moved to clarify that no binding arrangement has yet been finalized.
While confirmation that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed has sparked debate and speculation, the Prime Minister stressed that the document does not constitute a formal agreement and contains no settled details regarding implementation.
“Let me make it abundantly clear, there’s been no agreement to the government of the United States,” Pierre said. “So, I can’t tell you numbers, I can’t tell you anything about numbers, nor can I tell you anything about conditions, nor can I tell you anything about anything of that nature. There’s been no agreement to the government of the United States.”
The Prime Minister’s comments come as attention intensifies around the issue, particularly as another Caribbean territory that has entered into a similar arrangement begins to reveal more concrete details about how such a system would operate.
However, Pierre emphasized that the current stage of engagement remains preliminary and largely procedural.
“What we signed, as most countries have signed, is a MOU, a Memorandum of Understanding,” he explained. “The Memorandum of Understanding is basically a framework for dialogue and cooperation with the United States as it regards to nationals from third countries who are presently in the United States and who the United States seeks to want to get them out of the United States.”