The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CARICOM IMPACS, the Caribbean Community’s implementation agency for crime and security, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on July 10 at the Saint Kitts and Nevis embassy in Washington. The agreement creates a Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) that will allow automated queries and data exchanges to screen, vet, and investigate individuals who may pose security or immigration risks to the United States and to CARICOM member states. Both parties aim to have the system operational by the end of the year.
Scope of the agreement
- The MoC covers the five Eastern Caribbean citizenship‑by‑investment (CBI) programs: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.
- DHS describes the pact as its “first multilateral biometric information‑sharing arrangement” and says it will “strengthen cooperation … on border security and immigration vetting.”
- CARICOM IMPACS frames the deal as a “critical security upgrade” that will help “protect the integrity of economic migration” before citizenship is granted.
Connection to U.S. travel restrictions
- The agreement is linked to concerns raised in Presidential Proclamation 10998 (December 16, 2025), which restricts entry for nationals of dozens of countries and specifically cites “purchased citizenship” as a means to bypass travel restrictions or conceal identity and assets.
- Under the proclamation, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were placed under partial U.S. visa restrictions beginning in January 2024. Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia were not subject to those restrictions.
- The biometric data sharing will “strengthen vetting practices and address some of the risks identified in the Proclamation,” but it does not alter the existing visa or 212(f) restrictions on the two countries already targeted.
Operational details
- CARICOM IMPACS already processes CBI applicant data through its Joint Regional Communications Centre in Barbados. The MoC expands this existing role rather than creating a new one.
- The biometric capability is intended to feed the planned Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), a common regulator the five states are building to harmonize compliance across the programs.
Parallel developments in the European Union
- The European Commission has indicated that operating a CBI program can constitute sufficient grounds to suspend visa‑free travel for a member state.
- The EU set a 2028 deadline for Antigua to end its CBI program, warning that failure to do so could jeopardize Schengen‑area access.
Key take‑aways
- The BDSP will be functional by the end of 2026, providing real‑time biometric verification for both U.S. and Caribbean authorities.
- While the partnership enhances security vetting, it does not lift the current U.S. visa curbs on Antigua and Barbuda or Dominica.
- The initiative supports the creation of ECCIRA, aiming for a unified regulatory framework for the five Eastern Caribbean CBI programs.
- Similar pressure is being applied by the EU, which may impose travel restrictions if CBI programs are not discontinued by the 2028 deadline.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
