WASHINGTON–Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today met with Dominican Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Morales Troncoso and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) to enhance information sharing on passenger information and strengthen aviation security. Countries use APIS to enhance border security by providing officers with pre-arrival and departure manifest data on all passengers and crew members.
“The United States and the Dominican Republic have a shared interest in securing air travel, while facilitating legitimate travel and trade,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This agreement affirms both nations’ commitment to increasing information sharing capabilities and strengthening aviation security standards.”
The APIS MOU strengthens the ongoing partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and its Dominican counterparts. DHS has provided the Dominican Republic with significant bilateral and regional security assistance through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. In addition, CBP operates the Container Security Initiative in the Dominican Republic, to prescreen U.S.-bound shipping containers to detect and interdict dangerous cargo including radiological and nuclear materials.
In July, Secretary Napolitano traveled to the Dominican Republic where she met with President Leonel Fernandez and other Dominican Republic officials to discuss law enforcement cooperation and ongoing efforts to combat illicit trafficking. During the trip, Secretary Napolitano signed a Joint Statement of Intent on Aviation Security, a Joint Statement on Combating Trafficking in Persons, and a Joint Statement on Global Supply Chain Security with Minister of Foreign Affairs Troncoso and Minister of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Jaoquin Virgilio Perez. While in the Dominican Republic, Secretary Napolitano also met with Attorney General Radhames Jiménez and other law enforcement and military leaders.
