Migration policy is a matter of sovereign control. Governments assert, rightly, their authority to regulate borders, determine who may enter, and enforce their laws.

The United States has that right, as does every sovereign state. All Caribbean governments also regulate entry to their countries. While they welcome visitors, they impose visa requirements on some nationalities and limit how long visitors may remain. That is normal state practice.

The difficulty begins when the assertion of sovereignty by one state imposes disproportionate obligations on others. That is the question now confronting the Caribbean and other resource-constrained developing states. They are being asked by the United States to receive persons who are not their nationals and whom the United States wishes to deport.