DHS Signs Memorandum of Cooperation Strengthening Border Security and Immigration Vetting with Partners in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON – The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) enabling a Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).
On July 10, 2026, the MOC was signed in Washington, D.C. by Rob Law, Under Secretary of Strategy, Policy, & Plans (PLCY) for DHS, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones, Executive Director for CARICOM IMPACS. The Ambassador of Saint Kitts and Nevis hosted the signing ceremony with attendees from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Representatives from the U.S. Homeland Security Council (HSC) and the U.S. Department of State also attended the ceremony.
“The signing of this memorandum of cooperation marks DHS’s first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement,” said Under Secretary Rob Law. “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 MOC establishes a framework for automated queries and exchanges of data to support screening, vetting, and investigation of individuals who may pose security or immigration risks to the United States and CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.
Further, the MOC addresses the Eastern Caribbean’s Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) programs. U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10998 states that purchased citizenship can be used to bypass travel restrictions or conceal identity and assets; as such, it imposes certain visa restrictions on Citizenship-by-Investment nationals. Information shared through the BDSP program strengthens vetting practices and addresses some of the risks identified in the Proclamation, while leaving visa and 212(f) authorities unchanged.
DHS and CARICOM IMPACS aim to operationalize the BDSP MOC by the end of the calendar year.
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