Deputy Premier and Minister of BorderControl and Employment, Hon. Sean Astwood, recently led a delegation toBarbados for the historic signing of the CARICOM Advance Passenger InformationSystem (APIS) agreement with the United States. On May 24, 2017, at the BorderSecurity Professional Exchange Conference, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)became the first associated member among the six British Overseas Territoriesto join the APIS program. This system, established by U.S. Customs BorderProtection in 2009, enhances regional border security by providing lawenforcement with data on passengers and crew before their arrival or departurefrom participating states, including CARICOM Member States, the UK, the U.S.,and Canada.

Deputy Premier Astwood emphasized theimportance of the signing, calling it a "historic occasion" thatpositions TCI as a leader in modernizing border security across the region. Hedescribed the agreement as a significant step toward fully implementing APIS inTCI by September 2017, improving not only local border security but alsocontributing to the safety of the wider Caribbean region. U.S. Ambassador LindaTaglialetela praised the initiative, highlighting its role in strengtheningairport and port security and fostering collaboration between sovereign statesto address security challenges effectively.

The TCI delegation, including Head ofSecretariat Ms. Cynara John and Senior Immigration Officer Ms. Latoya Mitchell,also showcased TCI’s Immigration Department’s role in border protection.Mitchell’s presentation highlighted the department’s ongoing efforts to secureTCI’s borders. Once operational, APIS will provide TCI with real-time data toproactively identify potential threats, marking a major milestone in thenation’s security strategy and reinforcing its commitment to regional safetyand cooperation.