Dominica, along with six other CARICOM nations, has signed a new landmark Border Security Pact Agreement with the United States that establishes a comprehensive Biometric Data Sharing Partnership.
The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed under the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).
The signing ceremony was held in Washington and hosted by the Ambassador of St Kitts and Nevis, and included representatives from Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this agreement represents the department’s first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement.
The pact creates a framework for automated data exchanges intended to support the screening and vetting of individuals who may pose immigration or security risks to the United States or to CARICOM member states.
The US State Department officials have stated that the agreement marks a significant alignment of Caribbean border security standards with the United States and CARICOM IMPACS.
