Premier Hon. Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley has warned that the United Kingdom could seek to assume control of the Virgin Islands’ Customs and Immigration Departments, urging residents to remain vigilant amid growing concerns over the extent of UK involvement in the territory’s internal affairs.
Speaking Monday, Novembr 10, during a public demonstration outside the Governor’s Office in Road Town, where protesters gathered to oppose the removal of Acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool, Wheatley said the Governor’s recent decision to replace Vanterpool with a United Kingdom national reflected a broader pattern of external overreach.
“The United Kingdom wants to take over Customs. They want to take over Immigration,” Wheatley told the crowd. “Enough is enough. If the people of the Virgin Islands do not stand up, this territory will be taken from right under your feet.”
The Premier’s comments came after Governor Daniel Pruce announced that former Royal Gibraltar Police Commissioner Richard Ullger would be appointed interim acting commissioner of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force effective Nov. 18, pending approval by the Police Service Commission and the National Security Council.
The decision has stirred public debate about local autonomy and self-governance, particularly as the territory marks the 75th anniversary of representative government this year.
Wheatley linked the current dispute to the Virgin Islands’ long-standing struggle for self-determination, citing past leaders who fought for internal control over public institutions.
“Seventy-five years ago, our foreparents marched for us,” he said. “Now we must stand up the same way they did — for democracy, for justice, and for the right to govern ourselves.”
The Premier also questioned whether Virgin Islanders would continue to lead key departments if external control expanded.
“Do you think if they take over Customs that a Virgin Islander like Greg Romney will still be commissioner?” he asked. “Do you think Immigration will be led by one of our own? Or will someone else be parachuted in from the United Kingdom?”
Neither the Governor’s Office nor the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated any formal plans to assume management of the Customs or Immigration Departments. However, Wheatley’s warning reflects rising local unease about the balance of power between the elected government and the Governor, who holds constitutional authority over policing, internal security, and certain aspects of public administration.
The protest drew both government and opposition leaders, signaling broad concern about the implications of Vanterpool’s removal and what some residents view as an erosion of local decision-making authority.
The demonstration ended peacefully after more than an hour.
