After the 9/11 attacks, the US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) a sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), implemented the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).
APIS enhances border security by providing CBP with pre-arrival and departure manifest data for doing security screening and background checks on all passengers and crew members.
Under APIS rules, airlines must provide CBP at least 60 minutes before the departure of the flight with certain personal details of all passengers and crew members travelling to the US, for the purposes of doing security background checks.
This information includes the passenger’s full name, gender, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, passport number, expiry date and country of issue. With the exception of US citizens and legal residents, travellers must also provide their intended address in the US.
The airline cannot let a passenger board for the US unless he or she has been cleared by CBP.
At the behest of the US, the APIS was introduced in Caricom during the 2007 Cricket World Cup, which was held in multiple Caricom countries from February-May.The goal was to create a secure space for the large number of people travelling between them to watch the games.
After the World Cup, the obligation to submit APIS data remained in effect.
The Caricom Electronic Advanced Passenger Information System (eAPIS) is an automated electronic, web-based data-interchange application system established for aviation and maritime operators that can enhance border security over the region by supplying law-enforcement officers with data on passengers and crew members before their arrival in and departure from Caricom member states.
The Caricom APIS is managed by the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), a sub-agency of Caricom Impacs, headquartered in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The JRCC acts as the nerve centre of Caricom Impacs by collecting APIS data from all aviation and maritime carriers on all people travelling to, through and out of the region.
The JRCC Operations Department works on a 24/7 basis and processes submissions from carriers and shippers and provide feedback on people of interest to relevant law-enforcement agencies.
Commercial and private aviation carriers must electronically transmit their passenger data no later than 40 minutes before the flight departs.
Commercial maritime carriers must electronically transmit their passenger data within 24 hours of a vessel’s arrival in the region and an hour for departure within the region.
In October 2010, the global counter-terrorism community disrupted an attempt by al-Qaeda in Yemen to conceal and ship explosive devices in cargo on board US-bound aircraft.
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Five days after the attempted attack, the US CBP and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began meeting with industry partners to better understand business practices and to collectively develop a mechanism to collect real-ti
