By Belize Live News Staff: Belize and the United States have signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at enhancing border security and public safety through the exchange of biometric data and other key information.
The agreement, signed in Washington, D.C., brings together Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Belize, the deal “lays groundwork for a Biometric Data Sharing Partnership to help Belize develop new border management tools to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organisations.”
Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade also confirmed the signing on X, noting that the memorandum is focused on strengthening bilateral information sharing.
This development comes as Belize prepares to implement a national ID system that will incorporate biometric technology. Jose Urbina, CEO in the Ministry of E-Governance, said the ID system will not immediately replace existing forms of identification such as social security cards, driver’s licences, or voter IDs—but that is the long-term goal.
Urbina assured the public that robust digital safeguards will be in place. “It’s not something that’s being prepared loosely,” he emphasized. “We are ensuring that all the security layers are in place to protect the transmission of the information and also to safeguard the database.”
