Several Eastern Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, have signed a landmark border security agreement with the United States that will allow the sharing of biometric data to strengthen immigration and national security.

The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed Friday in Washington by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, known as IMPACS.

Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines attended the signing ceremony.

U.S. officials say the agreement is the first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement established by the Department of Homeland Security.

The partnership will allow the automated exchange of biometric information to help both the United States and CARICOM countries identify individuals who may pose immigration or security risks.

The agreement also targets Citizenship by Investment programmes (CIP) in the Eastern Caribbean by strengthening background checks and addressing concerns that purchased citizenship could be used to conceal identities or evade travel restrictions.

U.S. officials say the new framework will bring Caribbean border security standards closer to those of the United States.

Both the Department of Homeland Security and CARICOM IMPACS expect the system to be fully operational by the end of 2026.