The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it had signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).
The agreement, signed by Rob Law, Under Secretary of Strategy, Policy, & Plans (PLCY) for DHS, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones, Executive Director for CARICOM, would allow for Biometric Data Sharing between the two agencies. The signing was hosted by Jacinth Henry-Martin, Ambassador of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United States, and was attended by representatives of the U.S. Homeland Security Council (HSC) and the U.S. Department of State, and of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
“The signing of this memorandum of cooperation marks DHS’s first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement,” Law said. “This will strengthen cooperation between DHS and CARICOM IMPACS on border security and immigration vetting. DHS welcomes this new partnership to strengthen security across the region.”
The agreement establishes a framework for automated queries and exchanges of data to support screening, vetting and investigation of individuals who may post security or immigration risks to those member nations signing the agreement. The MOC also addresses the Eastern Caribbean’s Citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program. U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10998 allows purchased citizenship to be used to bypass travel restrictions or to conceal identity and assets, and imposes certain visa restrictions on Citizenship-by-Investment nationals. The MOC would allow data sharing to strengthen vetting practices and address some of the risks identified in the Proclamation while leaving visa and 212(f) authorities unchanged.
Officials said they expect to have the MOC operational by the end of this year.