WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has signed what officials described as its first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement, entering into a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) to enable a Biometric Data Sharing Partnership between the United States and multiple Caribbean nations, according to the department.
According to DHS, the memorandum was signed July 10, 2026 in Washington, D.C. by Rob Law, DHS Under Secretary of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS. The signing ceremony was hosted by the Ambassador of Saint Kitts and Nevis and attended by representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the U.S. Homeland Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State, according to DHS.
“The signing of this memorandum of cooperation marks DHS’s first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement,” Under Secretary Rob Law said in a statement. “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.”
How the partnership will work
According to DHS, the memorandum establishes a framework for automated queries and exchanges of biometric data — such as fingerprints and facial recognition data — between the participating countries. The department said the information exchange is intended to support screening, vetting, and investigation of individuals who may pose security or immigration risks to the United States and to CARICOM member states.
DHS said the department and CARICOM IMPACS aim to operationalize the biometric data-sharing partnership by the end of the calendar year.
Citizenship-by-Investment programs and Presidential Proclamation 10998
According to DHS, the memorandum also addresses concerns raised by Presidential Proclamation 10998, which relates to Citizenship-by-Investment programs operated by several Eastern Caribbean nations. These programs allow individuals to obtain citizenship in a participating country through significant financial investment.
According to DHS, Proclamation 10998 states that purchased citizenship can be used to bypass travel restrictions or conceal identity and assets. The proclamation imposes visa restrictions on nationals of countries operating Citizenship-by-Investment programs. According to DHS, information shared through the new biometric partnership is intended to strengthen vetting of individuals who have obtained citizenship through such programs, while leaving the visa restrictions and other 212(f) authorities from the proclamation unchanged.
The Eastern Caribbean Citizenship-by-Investment programs — including those operated by Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia — have been a longstanding element of the region’s economic development strategy. The programs typically generate significant revenue for participating countries and have supported infrastructure and public sector investment across the Eastern Caribbean.
What this means for travelers
Biometric data-sharing arrangements between the U.S. and foreign partner countries typically affect travelers at points of entry, where biometric information collected at ports of entry — including U.S. airports and land borders — is compared against shared databases. Once operational, the new partnership would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Texas ports of entry, including Dallas-Fort Worth International, George Bush Intercontinental, Austin-Bergstrom, and land crossings along the southwest border, to query biometric information shared under the agreement as part of standard vetting.
According to DHS, the partnership does not change existing visa policies or U.S. entry requirements.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
