Mace's 'Third World' Immigration Bill Lists Antigua and Barbuda as Two Separate Countries

Rep. Nancy Mace's H.R. 9710, the Third World Immigration Moratorium Act, introduced July 15, 2026 and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, would bar entry to nationals of a list of designated countries. In the bill's own text, one item on that list is not a country at all. The single sovereign nation of Antigua and Barbuda appears as two separate numbered entries: "(25) Antigua." and "(26) Barbuda." The split was first reported on July 17, 2026 by the Miami Herald's Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles and carried across the Caribbean press. In the days after the bill's introduction, Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, sent Mace a formal letter objecting to the country's inclusion.

The bill's text, as filed

The relevant passage is Section 2 of the bill, the list of "countries of identified concern." Read in order, items 24 through 27 are:

From the official printed bill (BILLS-119hr9710ih). "(25) Antigua." falls at the foot of page 2 and "(26) Barbuda." at the top of page 3. Antigua and Barbuda is one country, a twin-island nation in the eastern Caribbean; the bill lists it as two. The red rule marks the page break in the original.

Counted this way, the bill's Section 2 runs to 40 numbered entries. Mace's own office described the measure as banning entry from 39 countries plus holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, and her press release listed "Antigua and Barbuda" as a single country. The discrepancy between the 39-country description and the 40-entry list is the split shown above. The full page images are reproduced further down.

The ambassador's objection

Ambassador Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda's envoy in Washington and dean of the diplomatic corps at the Organization of American States, wrote to Mace asking that the country be reconsidered for removal from the list. Reporting on the letter appeared July 17, 2026 in the Jamaica Observer, Caribbean News Global, and other outlets. In his own words, as reported by the Jamaica Observer:

"any proposed measures affecting friendly countries, should be informed by accurate information and objective facts"

"the error illustrates the importance of ensuring that legislation affecting friendly nations is founded upon accurate and verified information"

Sanders described his country, per Caribbean News Global, as "an upper-middle-income country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean" and "a stable parliamentary democracy founded upon the rule of law." As reported by the Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles, Sanders argued that Antigua and Barbuda "should not be among the countries targeted," and that no citizen of Antigua and Barbuda "has ever sought refugee status in the United States."

Where the list came from

Mace's office has said the bill's roster "align[s] directly with President Trump's Proclamation, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States." That is Proclamation 10998, signed December 16, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, which sorts designated countries into a full-suspension tier and a partial-suspension tier. In the proclamation, and in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection bulletin implementing it, "Antigua and Barbuda" is listed once, as a single country in the partial-suspension tier. In H.R. 9710's text, the same nation is written as two consecutive line items.

The disputed factual basis

Beyond the double-listing, Sanders' letter disputed the factual premise for the country's inclusion. According to the Caribbean reporting, the objection took issue with an assertion that the country's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program had historically granted citizenship without residency. Antigua and Barbuda maintains that its CBI program has always required residency. Maceopedia presents the competing claims as stated by each side; it does not adjudicate the program's requirements here.

Mace's public position

Mace has defended the bill in general terms. In her office's announcement and in coverage of it, she said:

"If you import the third world, you will become the third world."

"This bill makes crystal clear: entry into the United States is a privilege, not a right. We make absolutely no apologies for defending it."

As of publication, Maceopedia has not identified any public statement in which Mace or her office addresses Ambassador Sanders, the Antigua and Barbuda objection, or the double-listing by name. Her public defenses of the bill speak to the measure in general. This is stated as a documented gap in the public record as of this writing, not as a characterization of intent; her office may respond at any time.

A note on the letter's date

The exact date Sanders signed his letter to Mace is not part of the public record reviewed for this dispatch. The reporting establishes that it was sent in the days after the bill's July 15, 2026 introduction and first surfaced in the Caribbean press on July 17, 2026. Maceopedia dates this dispatch to July 15, the date of the bill, and does not assign a date to the letter itself.

The report, on video

ABS TV Antigua's report, "SIR RONALD SANDERS WRITES TO US LAWMAKER AS PROPOSED LAW TARGETS A&B, OTHER COUNTRIES." Source: ABS TV Antigua (ABSTVANTIGUA) on YouTube. The player is embedded; the footage is served by YouTube.

The country list in full

The two pages of Section 2 that carry the numbered list are reproduced below from the official printed bill.

Page 2 of the printed bill: entries (1) through (25), ending on "(24) Angola." and "(25) Antigua."

Page 3 of the printed bill: the list resumes at "(26) Barbuda." and "(27) Benin."

This dispatch reproduces the public text of a bill introduced in the U.S. House and quotes named public officials and outlets. Every characterization is attributed to its source. The bill remains in committee and has not been enacted. Antigua and Barbuda's positions are quoted from its ambassador and the Caribbean press; Mace's positions are quoted from her office and the coverage of it. For the broader catalog of Rep. Mace's sponsored measures, see The Legislative Record.

Sources & related coverage

• The bill itself: H.R. 9710, Third World Immigration Moratorium Act, official text (govinfo, BILLS-119hr9710ih) · official printed PDF, hosted copy · Congress.gov bill page
• Miami Herald / Jacqueline Charles (July 18, 2026), via AOL syndication: "Bill seeks to ban nationals of 39 countries"
• Jamaica Observer (July 17, 2026): "Antigua-Barbuda wants US to correct misinformation in proposed immigration bill"
• Caribbean News Global (July 17, 2026): "Ambassador Sanders tells US congresswoman: reconsider Antigua and Barbuda's inclusion"
• Bajan Reporter (July 19, 2026): "Antiguan envoy tells U.S. congresswoman reconsider Antigua & Barbuda's inclusion"
• Antigua Observer (July 22, 2026), commentary characterizing the entry-ban list: "Dr Robins raises concern over US entry-ban list"
• Fox News (July 15, 2026): "Trump's 'third world' travel ban could become permanent"
• Proclamation 10998 basis (Antigua and Barbuda listed once, partial-suspension tier): Congressional Research Service, IN12631 · U.S. Customs and Border Protection bulletin (PDF)
• On Maceopedia: The bill itself: "If you import the third world, you will become the third world" · The Legislative Record
• ABS TV Antigua report (video, embedded above): "SIR RONALD SANDERS WRITES TO US LAWMAKER AS PROPOSED LAW TARGETS A&B, OTHER COUNTRIES"