The governor and premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) hosted the Jamaican prime minister in May 2026 to discuss further deepening the security relationship between the Caribbean states. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s May 22 visit followed the March visit to Jamaica by TCI Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam and Premier Charles Washington Misick. In recent years, the Royal TCI Police and the TCI Regiment have trained in Jamaica, and Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) tactical officers have been stationed in TCI for the past year.
Holness’s trip also was meant to commemorate the JCF’s success in bolstering TCI’s fight against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and the accompanying smuggling, violence and illegal migration. The visit “focused on advancing national security outcomes, addressing the social drivers of crime and supporting sustainable growth,” according to the TCI governor’s office, reported the TCI News.
Since July 2021, when assassins killed Haiti’s president, TCI’s southern neighbor has descended into violent instability, triggering tens of thousands of Haitians to flee. Many of the routes taken by migrants traverse TCI waters, and that has attracted TCOs to the British Overseas Territory. This instability has prompted TCI authorities to take significant steps against TCOs. In April, after an emergency meeting of TCI’s acting governor, premier, and other top military and law enforcement officials, the government announced that TCI security forces will increase air surveillance, expand land and marine patrols, and toughen enforcement against illegal immigration.
TCI Regiment troops participated in combat training in Jamaica last year, and TCI troops served on a Caribbean relief effort after Jamaica was hit by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. In March, Daniel-Selvaratnam met with Jamaican Chief of Defence Staff Vice Adm. Antonette Wemyss-Gorman to seek ways to expand the defense partnership, particularly in maritime domain awareness — identifying, tracking and disrupting TCO sea-based networks — border security and regional stability. That same month, 20 police and TCI Regiment members completed a tactical training course in Jamaica on counter-gang efforts, a three-week session held at the JCF’s Specialised Operations Headquarters in Kingston. Thirty JCF tactical officers deployed to TCI in May 2025 to help combat gang violence.
Holness’s visit “highlighted the strength of operational cooperation and underscored our shared commitment to tackling transnational threats,” the TCI government release stated, according to TCI News.”