TCI BORDERS to be Digitised, USA to help

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff writer  

#TurksandCaicos, March 31, 2023 – The long-awaited e-Gates for border services will be getting underway in the near future as part of the digitization entry to the TCI via air.  The announcement came from Cabinet minutes following a March 15 meeting.

Cabinet has approved measures for the digitization and introductory processes include

• immigration management system,
• biometrics for non-citizens and
• automation technology at the border (aka e-Gates).

The approval makes good on promised $300,000 upgrades re-introduced in a ministerial statement late last year by Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration (read by MP Akierra Missick).

These had been approved under the Sharlene Robinson administration when Sean Astwood headed the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services. Training had begun during that time, but was ground to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To be situated across the countries border entries, the e-Gates when installed will serve as an integral part of the countries security arsenal, and the immigration management system will facilitate easier access to data for customs officers.

Now departed, former Governor Nigel Dakin had previously indicated that measures like this would make entering and exiting much smoother for low-risk individuals, and much harder for those who would wish the Turks and Caicos harm.

Customs officers have undergone training in the past two years, visiting other jurisdictions to familiarise themselves with the digital system that the Government wants to move to completely.

Along with the e-Gates, the TCI may be partnering with the US regarding biometrics data. Cabinet says it noted a paper setting out the sharing of biometric data with the US Government (BITMAP) and confirmed its earlier approval of next steps towards the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the USA.