ICE, Jamaica sign memorandum of cooperation

KINGSTON, Jamaica — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Ministry of National Security of Jamaica signed a memorandum of cooperation Tuesday in Kingston to enhance their ability to share records containing immigration and criminal histories of Jamaican nationals being repatriated from the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis G. Moreno and Peter Murcott Bunting, minister of Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, participated in the signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Security’s headquarters. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Assistant Director Matthew Albence and Minister Bunting signed the Criminal History Information Sharing (CHIS) memorandum. ICE’s Jamaica Attaché James Stitzel also attended the signing ceremony.

“CHIS enhances the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Jamaica and represents a milestone in our law enforcement partnership,” said Moreno. He also thanked Stitzel for his tireless work in Jamaica and his efforts with the CHIS agreement.

“The signing of the CHIS agreement signals increased levels of trust and cooperation between our two governments,” said Bunting.

The CHIS initiative is managed by ERO. Through the initiative, ERO provides its partners with criminal conviction information on foreign nationals being removed from the United States, and it receives information about foreign criminal convictions related to those individuals. These records help ERO identify and classify individuals within the agency’s criminal removal priorities in support of national security. 

ICE has similar agreements with Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

Through its International Operations, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has 62 operational attaché offices in 46 countries around the world. HSI special agents work closely with foreign law enforcement agencies through a robust network of specialized, vetted units known as Transnational Criminal Investigative Units. Additionally, HSI brings personnel from host countries to the United States to train at the Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Both HSI and ERO personnel work on issues of mutual interest with host governments.

ERO is responsible for coordinating the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO assistant attaches for repatriation have assisted with the removal of more than 1,200 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. In fiscal year 2014 alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. More than 85 percent had been convicted of a crime.