The Dominican Republic and the United States signed three agreements on drug trafficking, security and human trafficking during a meeting between US Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano and President Leonel Fernandez on Friday, 13 July. Earlier, Napolitano signed a memorandum to put the unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance planes into operation at the residence of the US Ambassador Raul Yzaguirre. The agreement is part of an operation agreed to in June 2012 for activating a fleet of drones over the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to monitor the presence of drug traffickers. The perimeter stipulated by the US Federal Aviation Administration covers a range of 2,000 km over Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.
At the end of her meeting with Fernandez, Napolitano described the agreements as productive because, in her opinion, they will further strengthen trade and security relations between the two countries.
Following her visit to the Dominican Republic, Napolitano traveled to Puerto Rico to sign similar agreements. She was accompanied by the chief of the US Customs and Border Protection Office David Aguilar, and US Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Alan Bersin.