

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
APECO
ASEC
AMGT
AFIN
APER
ACABQ
AORC
AEMR
AF
AE
AR
AGMT
AU
AY
ABLD
AS
AG
AJ
APCS
AX
AM
AMEX
ATRN
ADM
AMED
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AL
ASUP
AND
ARM
ASEAN
AFFAIRS
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AODE
APEC
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AO
ABUD
AC
ADPM
ADCO
ASIG
ARF
AUC
ASEX
AGAO
AA
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AIT
AADP
ASCH
AORL
AROC
ACOA
ANET
AID
AMCHAMS
AINF
AMG
AFU
AN
ALOW
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
ACS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AGR
BEXP
BR
BM
BG
BL
BA
BTIO
BO
BP
BC
BILAT
BK
BU
BD
BRUSSELS
BB
BF
BBSR
BIDEN
BX
BE
BH
BT
BY
BMGT
BWC
BTIU
BN
CA
CASC
CFED
CO
CH
CS
CU
CE
CI
CM
CMGT
CJAN
COM
CG
CIS
CVIS
CR
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTER
CIA
CLINTON
CY
CPAS
CD
CBW
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CDG
CW
CODEL
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CARICOM
CB
CONDOLEEZZA
CWC
CACS
CSW
CIDA
CIC
CITT
CONS
CL
CACM
CDB
CDC
CAN
CF
CJUS
CTM
CBSA
CARSON
CT
CLMT
CBC
CEUDA
CV
COPUOS
CTR
CROS
CAPC
CAC
CNARC
CICTE
CBE
ECON
ETRD
EIND
ENRG
EC
ELAB
EAGR
EAID
EFIS
EFIN
EINV
EUN
EG
EPET
EAIR
EU
ELTN
EWWT
ECIN
ERD
EI
ETTC
EUR
EN
EZ
ETC
ENVI
EMIN
ET
ENVR
ER
ECPS
EINT
EAP
ES
ENIV
ECONOMY
EXTERNAL
EINN
EFTA
ECONOMIC
EPA
EXBS
ECA
ELN
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENGR
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
ELECTIONS
EIAR
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
ENERG
EFIM
EAIDS
EK
ETRDECONWTOCS
EINVETC
ECONCS
EUNCH
ESA
ECINECONCS
EUREM
ESENV
EFINECONCS
ETRC
ENNP
EAIG
EXIM
EEPET
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
ERNG
ETRO
ETRN
EINVEFIN
ICTY
IN
IS
IR
IC
IZ
IA
INTERPOL
IAEA
IT
IMO
IO
IV
ID
IRAQI
IEA
INRB
IL
IWC
ITU
ICAO
ISRAELI
ICRC
IIP
IMF
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
ITALY
ITALIAN
ILO
IPR
IQ
IRS
IAHRC
IZPREL
IRAJ
IDP
ILC
ITF
ICJ
IF
ITPHUM
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
IACI
IBET
ITRA
INR
IRC
IDA
ICTR
IGAD
INRA
INRO
IEFIN
INTELSAT
INTERNAL
INDO
ITPGOV
KWMN
KSCA
KDEM
KTFN
KIPR
KCRM
KPAL
KE
KPAO
KPKO
KS
KN
KISL
KFRD
KJUS
KIRF
KFLO
KG
KTIP
KTER
KRCM
KTIA
KGHG
KIRC
KU
KPRP
KMCA
KMPI
KSEO
KNNP
KZ
KNEI
KCOR
KOMC
KCFC
KSTC
KMDR
KFLU
KSAF
KSEP
KSAC
KR
KGIC
KSUM
KWBG
KCIP
KDRG
KOLY
KAWC
KCHG
KHDP
KRVC
KBIO
KAWK
KGCC
KHLS
KBCT
KPLS
KREL
KCFE
KMFO
KV
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVPR
KTDB
KSPR
KIDE
KVRP
KTEX
KBTR
KTRD
KICC
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KDEMAF
KMRS
KRAD
KOCI
KSTH
KUNR
KNSD
KGIT
KFSC
KHIV
KPAI
KICA
KACT
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCMR
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KNAR
KNUC
KPWR
KENV
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KPRV
KOM
KBTS
KCRS
KNPP
KWNM
KRFD
KVIR
KTBT
KAID
KRIM
KDDG
KRGY
KHSA
KWMM
KMOC
KSCI
KPAK
KX
KPAONZ
KCGC
KID
KPOA
KIFR
KFIN
KWAC
KOMS
KCRCM
KNUP
KMIG
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KJUST
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MX
MCAP
MO
MR
MI
MD
MK
MA
MP
MY
MTCRE
MOPPS
MASC
MIL
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MU
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MZ
MEETINGS
MG
MW
MAS
MT
MCC
MIK
ML
MARAD
MV
MERCOSUR
MTRE
MPOS
MEPP
MILITARY
MDC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MRCRE
MAPS
MEDIA
MASSMNUC
MC
NZ
NZUS
NL
NU
NATO
NP
NO
NIPP
NE
NH
NR
NA
NPT
NI
NSF
NG
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NDP
NEW
NRR
NATIONAL
NT
NS
NASA
NAR
NV
NORAD
NSSP
NK
NPA
NGO
NSC
NATOPREL
NW
NPG
NSFO
OPDC
OTRA
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OSCE
OEXC
OIE
OPRC
OAS
OPIC
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFFICIALS
OECD
OSCI
OBSP
OFDA
OPCW
ODIP
OFDP
OES
OPAD
OCII
OHUM
OVP
ON
OIC
OCS
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PINR
PTER
PARM
PREF
PM
PE
PINS
PK
PHSA
PBTS
PRGOV
PA
PORG
PP
PS
PGOF
PL
PO
PARMS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PAK
POL
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PBIO
PINF
PNG
PMIL
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PAO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PTBS
PCUL
PROP
PNAT
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PROG
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
PGOC
PY
PCI
PLN
PDOV
PREO
PGIV
PHUH
PAS
PU
POGOV
PF
PINL
POV
PAHO
PRL
PG
PRAM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POLICY
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGGV
PHUS
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PEL
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PBT
PTERE
RS
RU
RW
RM
RO
RP
REGION
RSP
RF
RICE
RCMP
RFE
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RUPREL
RELATIONS
ROOD
REACTION
RSO
REPORT
SENV
SNAR
SCUL
SR
SC
SOCI
SMIG
SI
SP
SU
SO
SW
SY
SA
SZ
SAN
SF
SN
STEINBERG
SG
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SAARC
SL
SEVN
SARS
SIPRS
SHUM
SANC
SWE
SHI
SYR
SNARCS
SPCE
SYRIA
SEN
SH
SCRS
SENVKGHG
TRGY
TSPL
TPHY
TSPA
TBIO
TI
TW
THPY
TX
TU
TS
TZ
TC
TH
TT
TIP
TO
TERRORISM
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TL
TV
TNGD
TD
TF
TP
TFIN
TAGS
TK
TR
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
UNHRC
UG
UP
UNMIK
UNHCR
UE
USTR
UNVIE
UAE
UZ
UY
UNO
UNESCO
USEU
USOAS
UV
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNEP
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDP
UNPUOS
UNC
UNAUS
USUN
UNCHC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCSD
UNDC
USNC
USPS
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 06QUITO1549, MIGRATION: ECUADORIANS STILL LOOKING NORTH
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06QUITO1549.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
06QUITO1549 | 2006-06-23 19:30 | 2011-05-02 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Quito |
VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHQT #1549/01 1741930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231930Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4696
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5742
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1834
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0799
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN 9914
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 0708
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA PRIORITY 0464
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 1495
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY 0202
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 0729
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
UNCLAS QUITO 001549
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SMIG PHUM PREL EC
SUBJECT: MIGRATION: ECUADORIANS STILL LOOKING NORTH
¶1. (U) Summary: At least since the severe economic crisis
in 1999, the two certainties in Ecuador have been death and
emigration. A steady stream of 30,000 to 40,000 undocumented
migrants takes to the sea and skies annually from Ecuador in
pursuit of their own American dreams. Periodic reports of
migrant deaths, including a boat sinking that claimed 94
lives in August 2005, do not appear to deter outward-bound
Ecuadorians or the smugglers who profit from moving them.
Immediately following the August tragedy, the number of boats
bound for Mexico and Guatemala from Ecuador dropped. But
now, less than a year after the accident, the number of
embarkations is back up, the covert fleet having only
temporarily moved south to Northern Peru. The latest
drowning deaths put increased pressure on authorities to
crack down on alien smuggling -- Congress raised penalties
for convicted smugglers, but the northward flow continues,
fueled by limited economic opportunity at home. End Summary
Another Day, Another Death
--------------------------
¶2. (U) Carmen Chuni, Carlos Arevalo and Jose Gomez shared
the dream of thousands of Ecuadorians hungering for a better
life in the United States. They paid thousands of dollars to
a smuggling ring and embarked on the dangerous journey by
boat to Central America. Unlike some of their compatriots
who meet tragedy before even touching Guatemalan soil, the
three men landed there and passed into Mexico. There Chuni
and Arevalo and other migrants died in a bus accident as they
were shuttled northward. Gomez, injured in the crash, fled
the scene and spent four days in the mountains without food
before he turned himself in to police. He did so when he
read in a newspaper that his relatives' unidentified bodies
were going to be buried in unmarked graves. Gomez later died
from injuries sustained in the crash. The Public Ombudsman's
Office in Azuay Province paid $2,500 for the bodies of the
three to be returned to Ecuador. Chuni's corpse was returned
to his 22-year-old wife and daughters, ages 3 and 9 months.
¶3. (U) Sad stories of migrant tragedies appear regularly
here in newspaper, radio and TV reports. Also common are
reports of U.S. and Ecuadorian authorities rescuing hundreds
of hopeful immigrants from decrepit boats discovered on the
edge of disaster. The Ecuadorian Navy and National Institute
for Child and Family (INNFA) launched an awareness campaign
in January to dissuade potential migrants from risking their
lives and being deceived by smugglers. One anti-smuggling TV
spot even features the personal testimony of one of nine
people who survived the August boat sinking. Wilma Castro
spent three days clinging to a fuel tank before rescuers
found her. Sun and chemical burns left her face and those of
fellow survivors almost unrecognizable. Their images and
news of the 94 drowning deaths incensed many here who blame
corrupt politicians for failing to create economic
opportunities at home and for failing to jail smugglers. For
weeks, the media kept up the coverage of the tragedy. The
common refrain from journalists and public was "How can this
happen?" Congress scrambled to introduce bills increasing
punishments for convicted smugglers, called "coyoteros" in
Spanish.
¶4. (U) As a result of the clamor, smuggling boats
temporarily moved south along the Pacific Coast. Like the
returning tide, however, the irregular departures have now
returned to Ecuador. Willing customers picked up where they
left off, seemingly unfazed by the warnings of danger. As
often is the case, migrants rescued from sinking boats climb
aboard others. Congress, meanwhile, allowed the
anti-coyotero bills to languish.
Pieces of Coyote Pie
--------------------
¶5. (U) Migrant smuggling is big business in Ecuador, and
involves an extensive network of smugglers that includes
recruiters, coyoteros, boat owners and crewmembers, providers
of ground transportation (in Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico)
and loan sharks. According to reports from smuggled
migrants, police and military also facilitate the illegal
migration.
¶6. (U) Ecuador's smuggling network is extensive and not
limited to the coast. Starting with the intending
immigrant's first contact with a recruiter -- through a
business card, a newspaper ad or word-of-mouth referral, he
or she is run through a relay of smuggling accomplices. Loan
sharks move in to help the migrant get the required cash for
the trip. Persons smuggled through Bolivia by air pay
$10,000 to $15,000. Oceangoing customers pay a similar
amount; usually only a portion is required up front with the
rest payable in installments along the route. Generally
coyoteros' customers aren't the poorest of poor, but rather
members of the lower middle class who are enticed by
materialism touted by the entertainment media, Congressman
Freddy Ehlers told PolOff. Ecuadorian National Human Rights
Ombudsman Claudio Mueckay agrees and blames the coyoteros
too. He shared the account of a driver, soundly middle
class, who was tricked into traveling by smugglers who
described a Utopian United States. Gina Benavides of INREDH,
a regional human rights foundation, points to the smugglers
as well, calling the business of alien smuggling "as ugly as
drug trafficking."
¶7. (U) Most people mortgage their homes and property in
exchange for the money and pay at least $500 monthly interest
for the loans. Next coyoteros and their accomplices set up
the route, often starting from Azuay province in the south or
Carchi in the north, sources of the heaviest outward
migration. Along the route the migrants relay from bus to
truck, hotel to hotel, until they arrive at a secluded beach,
where they shuttled out to a waiting converted fishing
vessel. Once aboard, it takes an average of eight to 10 days
to reach a patch of deserted Guatemala coastline. Overloaded
with migrants, otherwise seaworthy vessels become accidents
waiting to happen.
GOE Enforcement Diverting Flow
------------------------------
¶8. (U) Immediately following the August drownings, President
Palacio charged Vice Adm. Hector Holguin, commander of the
Ecuadorian Navy, with developing a plan to save migrants'
lives. In early May, the GOE launched its "Anti-Coyotero
Plan," which dedicates 1,500 sailors, three planes, 16 Coast
Guard boats and two ships equipped with helicopters to
patrolling Ecuador's 1,400 miles of coastline. Merchant
marine authorities were ordered to seize unregistered fishing
boats to prevent their being employed by smugglers.
¶9. (U) The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that 30,000 to 40,000
migrants left Ecuador in 2005 and 95 percent reached their
intermediate destinations in Mexico or Central America.
National Immigration Director Gen. Edmund Ruiz told PolOff
that his police officers had frustrated 700 intending
immigrants in the first five months of 2006, compared with
500 in all of 2005. Ruiz, whose jurisdiction stops at the
water's edge, speculates that more people are using air
routes because of the increased maritime surveillance under
the Anti-Coyotero Plan. Police have noted a rise in the
number of intending immigrants flying to Venezuela and the
Dominican Republic, countries that do not require visas and
can be used as launch pads to the United States.
¶10. (U) An integrated database introduced at Ecuadorian
airports in July 2005 has enabled immigration police at the
airports to check criminal records and deportations. Police
also patrol pre-embarkation halls for suspicious-looking
travelers who may have passed by immigration checkpoints
without proper processing. However, Ruiz acknowledged
police do make mistakes. An immigration officer earns about
$250 a month, Ruiz said. When offered a bribe of $500, the
temptation is great. But with pre-boarding checks and closed
circuit cameras at immigration desks, Ruiz claimed he could
detect and punish corruption among his immigration officers.
Corruption Creeps In
--------------------
¶11. (SBU) One prosecutor from the coastal province of Guayas
told DHS that the Ecuadorian sailors assigned to the
Anti-Coyotero Plan travel from boat to boat collecting bribes
from complicit fishermen. We don't believe such activity to
could be occuring widely given the pressure under which
Holguin operates. We are aware of corrupt port captains who
take bribes from coyoteros and look the other way when boats
set sail. Politicians also succumb to temptation; a vice
mayor in Manta routinely releases detained smugglers.
¶12. (U) To address corruption in the police, the USG in 2002
supported the formation of a special vetted GOE police unit
to fight alien smuggling. The unit, called the Anti-Coyotero
Operations Center (COAC), consists of 12 police officers who
undergo regular polygraph tests and work under the
supervision of DHS/ICE. NAS provides the Quito-based unit
with logistical support including travel funds, vehicles and
sophisticated equipment to conduct investigations. Since its
inception, the work of the COAC has led to the arrests of 325
accused smugglers.
¶13. (SBU) Unfortunately, the vetted police team doesn't have
a vetted prosecutor and vetted judge to whom it can hand over
suspected criminals and criminal evidence. The number of
convictions to date has been disappointing. The COAC had
been working exclusively with one prosecutor, whom we had
deemed reliable, but evidence has recently surfaced linking
that prosecutor with the disappearance of criminal evidence
and the failure of witnesses to appear in court to testify.
The prosecutor is being transferred after having handled
preliminary procedures on several high-profile cases
including the case against Milton Bautista Guzman, charged
with the August drowning deaths, and the case of accused
alien smuggler Vinicio Luna, coordinator of the national
soccer team. DHS has asked the attorney general's office for
a complete accounting of the judicial status of all of the
alien smuggling cases the COAC unit has investigated.
Smugglers Face Greater Penalties
--------------------------------
¶14. (U) After months of inaction, Congress approved penal
code reforms in April that increased prison sentences for
coyoteros and their accomplices to up to 25 years.
Previously, members of smuggling rings could receive a
maximum of 12 years imprisonment. The potential sentence
applies to anyone "who through illegal means, promotes,
overcrowds, induces, finances, participates in collaborates
with or helps the emigration of nationals or foreigners from
Ecuador to another country." The same penalty will apply to
anyone who subjects children to the dangers of illegal
emigration -- this includes parents and other relatives. If
a smuggling attempt results in the death of a migrant, the
convicted smuggler could receive a 16- to 25-year sentence.
Migrants who accuse their traffickers are protected from
prosecution.
U.S. Migration Enforcement Limited
----------------------------------
¶15. (U) U.S. Navy and Coast Guard involvement in anti-migrant
interdiction efforts is peripheral to their primary anti-drug
mission. U.S. vessels or aircraft intervene only when they
spot imperiled boats of human cargo. Since April 2005, U.S.
Navy and Coast Guard vessels intercepted and boarded boats
carrying a total of nearly 700 migrants.
¶16. (U) Ecuadorian officials have expressed their desire to
require every Ecuadorian registered vessel to be outfitted
with a computer tracking chip, as Colombia does. However,
the GOE lacks resources to fund the chips and the tracking
equipment. The GOE also fails to reimburse costs of
repatriating deported Ecuadorians, a sore spot with the
governments of Guatemala and Nicaragua. Instead, DHS often
pays for the return of many migrants intercepted at sea, at a
cost of $40,000 to $60,000 per trip. Alejandro Guidi, head
of the International Migration Organization (IOM) in Quito,
told PolOff that a new IOM program paid for the "voluntary
return" of 176 Ecuadorians from Mexico in the first three
months of 2006. Under this program Ecuadorians avoid a
deportation record.
Demand Growing
--------------
¶17. (U) That Ecuadorians would seek opportunity outside of
their own country is not surprising, given that 70 percent of
the population lives below the poverty line. The country's
minimum wage of $160 a month is a dream to many. Ruiz
said he didn't expect the demand for smugglers to subside
with erection of a wall and U.S. National Guard Troops
patrolling the U.S. border with Mexico. "coyoteros are
specialists in avoiding the law, they'll simply find another
way in." Ruminahui Migrant Association President Juan
Manzanillas agreed that no wall or police force along the
U.S. border will stanch the migrant flow. The coyoteros will
simply charge more to find ways around new obstacles. The
only way to end the unnecessary loss of life, according to
Manzanillas, is for the U.S. to establish a policy of orderly
immigration that will allow foreigners to enter the country
as guest workers. Ecuadorians would wait their turn if they
knew that they could eventually obtain a work visa, he said.
¶18. (U) But will they really wait when family reunification
acts as an electromagnet pulling more and more Ecuadorians
toward the United States? Manzanillas and Ruiz both noted
that more younger travelers are attempting to migrate
illegally. Youth whose parents emigrated while they were
small are now heading north. The Migration Office reports
that from January through April of 2006, 874 Ecuadorians have
been deported--211 from Guatemala, 197 from the United
States, and 164 from Mexico. Sixty of the deportees were
minors.
Comment
-------
¶19. (SBU) Despite public attention on Mexico, the
Ecuador-Central America maritime route sees some of the
heaviest migrant traffic in the world. The Government of
Ecuador's efforts to control this traffic are still
preliminary. Increased maritime surveillance appears to have
caught the attention of smugglers, who are switching to other
human cargo routes. Public awareness campaigns have started,
but the flow of migrants continues. First Lady of Ecuador
Maria Beatriz Paret de Palacio crafted and led the GOE's
anti-alien smuggling campaign that hit the airwaves in
January 2006. Ironically, the first lady, an Amcit, plans
herself retire to Miami when her husband leaves office in
January 2007.
¶20. (SBU) While USG efforts to interdict and assist
migrants on the high seas has saved lives and discouraged
some migrants, we believe that increased investment in
land-based efforts to be more cost effective. To be
successful, we need to establish a permanent DHS presence in
Ecuador and increase funding for anti-smuggling vetted units.
With these tools, we would be more effective targeting alien
smuggling kingpins and dismantling smuggling rings in Ecuador.
¶21. (SBU) While the "pull" factor of family and U.S. living
conditions continues to attract Ecuadorians at all levels,
the GOE must address the "push" factor by combating poverty
and providing economic opportunity at home. We will
encourage the new administration to continue to address the
dangers of alien smuggling and hope it will not require
another human tragedy to spur preventive action.
JEWELL