PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government will on Friday next week introduce legislation to support the implementation of an Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) as part of the efforts to strengthen border security and combat transnational crime.
“The House will meet next Friday, and we will deliberate on that bill,” Leader of Government Business, Barry Padarath, told the weekly post-Cabinet news conference on Thursday.
He told reporters that the legislation “will bring a greater degree of border security and management to Trinidad and Tobago.
“We have often being speaking about Trinidad and Tobago’s porous borders and the exchange of information or lack thereof with other countries. This will be one of the major tools in our arsenal, particularly in addressing transnational crime. Therefore, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Sean Sobers), Homeland Security (Roger Alexander), and Defense (Wayne Sturge) will also participate in that debate, which will also elucidate the expected benefits.
‘But you have seen it work in so many other jurisdictions, and I think Trinidad and Tobago is a bit on the back foot, not out of this government’s doing. This is an issue we have been raising for quite a while, while we served in opposition.
Paradath, who is also the Public Utilities Minister, told reporters he believes “this is one of those tools that we can utilise in the fight against crime more forcefully, particularly the issue of trans national crime, in terms of our partnership with several nations inclusive of the United States and the United Kingdom where the focus has been on for quite a while”.
The APIS framework allows authorities to collect and assess passenger information before arrival, enabling early identification of potential security threats.
Last month, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar noted that the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen border security through enhanced cooperation with international partners, particularly the United States.
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