Customs and immigration focus on targeted intel

(CNS): A group of leaders from the Cayman Islands immigration and customs departments recently returned from a CARICOM meeting in Trinidad about the strategic and risk management approaches to border security. Both departments are tasked with tackling risks and threats related to the movement of potential terrorists, drug traffickers, deportees, prohibited immigrants, as well as drugs, weapons and illicit goods, and officials said that they depend on intelligence, which involves more regional cooperation, to help target their work rather than random or systematic searches.

The Special Meeting of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs was convened to discuss the implementation of the Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS) and the expansion of the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). Both the ACIS and APIS involve the transmission of manifest information from carriers to local border security authorities ahead of an airline’s or marine vessel’s arrival or departure.

“Cooperation, particularly in relation to intelligence exchange, is extremely important,” said Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith. “It’s now well recognised that enforcement success by immigration and customs relies much more on carefully targeted efforts based on high quality intelligence than it does on random or systematic action.”

The Cayman Islands currently leverages APIS for airline departures, which is why passengers no longer have to clear immigration when leaving the country. The Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration (MHRI) is currently leading a number of projects to strengthen and modernise border security, including the full implementation of APIS.

“The key is to ensure that border control resources can be directed toward those areas where they are most likely to produce significant results in the interest of security and public safety,” Jeff Jackson, Assistant Collector of Customs (Border Control), explained.

The ministry is also working closely with regional intelligence partners to provide the Cayman Islands’ border control authorities with greater capacity to assess a passenger’s risk profile and potential threat level.

“From a border protection standpoint, our primary goal is to help safeguard Cayman’s reputation as a safe, secure and attractive jurisdiction for recreation, residency and business,” said Deputy Chief Officer for MHRI (Security and Public Safety) Michael Ebanks. “To that end we’ll continue to strengthen international relations and local law enforcement collaboration.”

The Cayman Islands delegation included Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith, Acting Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Tamara Reid-Vernon, Deputy Collector of Customs (Border Control) Jeff Jackson, Assistant Collector of Customs (Border Control) Phillip West and Senior Customs Officer Newton Powery.