re: "How Ecuador's immigration policy helps al Qaeda"

Otto J. Reich & Ezequiel Vázquez Ger at Shadow Government ("Notes From The Loyal Opposition") describe an emerging security threat.*

Money quote(s):

"Terrorism, as the United States has learned at a high cost in recent years, comes in many forms and from unexpected sources. The government of Ecuador has once again crossed the line between irresponsible policies and ideologically driven actions that have created a serious security problem not only for its citizens but also for the entire Western Hemisphere. The disarray created in Ecuador's immigration policy has permitted transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups -- possibly including al Qaeda -- to potentially use the country as a base of operations with the ultimate objective of harming the United States.

In June of 2008, the Ecuadorian government opened its borders to foreigners and ended visa requirements to enter its territory. This opened the floodgates to nationals from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (e.g., Afghanistan, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Kenya, Nigeria, Cuba, Pakistan, and Somalia)."

Ecuador, like the U.S., is free to make any immigration or naturalization laws and policies that its own constitution allows. But there remain the consequences therefrom, both domestic and abroad.

"Records shows that large numbers of these immigrants enter to obtain Ecuadorian nationality by naturalization and thus be able to travel freely throughout Latin America and eventually to the United States without arousing suspicion because of their original nationalities. The routes by which they enter the Americas generally include a first stop in Cuba or Venezuela, countries with highly subjective immigration controls. Two routes that are used repeatedly are Pakistan/Afghanistan-Iran-Venezuela-Ecuador, and Somalia-Dubai-Russia-Cuba-Ecuador."

&

"(I)mmigrant groups have developed a criminal infrastructure of sufficient magnitude to keep functioning independently. To bypass the stricter immigration controls, criminal gangs have specialized in forging travel documents, visas, birth certificates, and fake residency permits that ultimately lead to illegally obtaining an Ecuadorian passport. Documents are not difficult to obtain because the Mafiosi suborn government administrators including civil registry officials, judges, and other government officials.

Of particular concern to U.S. security is the case of nationals of third countries who enter Ecuador with passports issued by Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, countries for which Ecuador still does not require visas."

U.S. visa procedures do take account of people's countries of origin, not just their current nationality or passport, but bogus documents can make implementing them more difficult.

"The danger these criminal networks pose is illustrated by two examples, among many: In 2011 an investigation was conducted by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) attaché in Quito, Ecuador, the HIS office in Atlanta, the Miami division of the FBI and the Ecuadorian National Police. The operation led to the arrest of Irfan Ul Haq, a Pakistani citizen who according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) was conducting a "human smuggling operation in Quito, Ecuador, that attempted to smuggle an individual they believed to be a member of the TTP from Pakistan (Tehrik-e Taliban) into the United States." The TTP was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department on Sept. 1, 2010.

A second case, which resulted in the arrest of Yaee Dawit, alias Jack Flora, probably the most important human trafficker in Africa and linked to different cells of al-Qaeda in East Africa, illustrates the good work of international cooperation, but also the importance that Ecuadorian cities have acquired as "hubs" for terrorists and transnational criminals."

&

"While there is no evidence to show that the Correa government established the policy of "open borders" in an effort to attract criminal organizations, that has been the result. On the other hand, there is no evidence of Correa wanting to stem the flow. These examples show how Rafael Correa's Ecuador is becoming a failed state, hosting all sorts of dangerous actors. They also help to understand the context in which various financial, commercial, and energy agreements are being developed by Ecuador with the governments of Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. While many of the agreements are not yet completed, they serve as "government-authorized illicit tunnels" through which anything and anyone can pass, from terrorists and drugs to money and arms."

* Otto J. Reich is president of the consulting firm Otto Reich & Associates LLC. He is a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, and U.S. ambassador to Venezuela.

4/2

re: "Deport the Criminals First (and Only?)"

Karl at Patterico's Pontifications ("Harangues that Just Make Sense") demonstrated how the devil hides in the details.

Money quote(s):

"(A) review of the June ICE memo (.pdf) detaling (sic) the new policy makes clear that the prosecutorial discretion involved is not limited to prioritizing deportations, but decisions to arrest, settle or dismiss proceedings, defer action, grant parole, etc. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times describes the new policy as “virtually stopping deporting students who are in the U.S. illegally, taking steps even as Congress has resisted passing the DREAM Act.”"

Consular officers familiar with the rules for foreigners seeking to attend schools in the U.S. legally will recognize the great disparity between what we expect of lawful visitors vs. the free ride given to illegal immigrants.

That sucks.

It may not be strictly criminal, but it's grand theft, from the taxpayers, nonetheless.

8/18

JO - ‘Families in jeopardy'

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

‘Families in jeopardy'

BY PETRE WILLIAMS-RAYNOR williamsp@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, March 07, 2010


MORE than 12,000 Jamaicans were deported in the last four years, many of whom have left families behind, with potentially dire consequences.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Over the years the majority of those deported have been men. Last year, for example, of the 3,076 people deported, 2,687 were men aged 18 years and older, according to statistics from the Ministry of National Security. In 2008, of the 3,234 people deported, 2,759 were males, while in 2007, of the 2,984 people deported, 2,491 were males. In 2006, 3,003 people were deported with males accounting for 2,532 of that number."

"(T)here is a current case of a young man in his twenties -- the father of an infant child -- who is facing deportation."

"Such separation, he said, is devastating for children and boys in particular."

"(B)oys, he said, are prone to involvement in crime and delinquency."

""If our government is big and bad enough to face down the powerful United States over a man US authorities say they want for trafficking in narcotics and illegal guns, then, surely, that same government ought to be bold enough to make meaningful representation whenever US authorities intend to deport a US-Jamaican permanent resident who is a model father and faithful breadwinner," he said."

&

"Jurisdictions have taken a hard line against illegal migrants and others who run afoul of the law, especially since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. But even before 9/11, the United States had begun to crack down on migrants, courtesy of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

The act provides the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement extensive powers while limiting judicial review of deportation and detention decisions made by immigration judges. At the same time, it has expanded the scope of crimes that are grounds for deportation, according to Headley's Deported Volume I."

re: "Security vs. Diplomacy: A False Dichotomy"

No Double Standards at Muttering Behind the Hardline ("Rants of a Foreign Service Officer on the things that matter to you -- and matter to you not at all") commented on what would seem to be "inside-baseball" reporting from Stratfor.

Money quote(s):

"An argument that DS was deliberately gutted in the 1990's due to an antipathy toward security would make sense, if the rest of the State Department had been faring well. Fact is, the 1990s were not a good time for State. Money was very tight, and hiring was abysmal. But beyond that, to reach back that far -- prior to 9/11 even -- for an explanation for deficiencies in our security posture is absurd. To finger as the primary culprit behind boom-or-bust funding cycles for State "Black Dragon" efforts to thwart increased security, as opposed to shifting priorities of presidential administrations and differing philosophies over the role of the Department of State in implementing foreign policy, seems a classic case of staring at a tree and missing the woods."

"As a consular officer who was riveted by the debate post-9/11 over the fate of the visa function, I myself had some reservations about what having an ARSO-I at post would mean. However, having worked with an ICE attache at one post and talked to colleagues who work with ARSO-I's at other posts, I've been pleasantly surprised at the value added."

Okay, here's where NDS goes a bit off the rails. ICE attaches and ARSO-Is are two different things. Similar, sort of, concepts, but not the same thing. The simplest explanation is that ICE is part of DHS and ARSO-Is are Diplomatic Security Service special agents (who've also had some specific consular training). DSS special agents belong to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), which is part of the U.S. Department of State (DOS).

Should I even mention that there's another DSS in the federal government? No, not at this juncture.

&

"No Foreign Service Officer believes that "diplomatic facilities need to be open and accessible rather than secure." This is a blatant caricature, and the authors know it is. Right-thinking FSO's believe that embassies and consulates need to be open and accessible AND secure. If you go to visit some of our newer missions, whether in Abu Dhabi, Sofia, Tunisia, just to name a few, you'll find aesthetically attractive facilities that accomplish both -- and are "green" to boot.

There is and always will be a tension between security concerns and the work of the embassy overseas. If there isn't, then either the RSO isn't vigilant in constantly evaluating the environment and offering his recommendations based on the evolving threat, where it exists, or the embassy staff is failing in its mission by locking itself behind the mission's walls. Sometimes RSO's are too skittish, and sometimes Front Office management is prepared to gamble more than it should. And those situations must be addressed, so that the balance I spoke of is achieved, so that the mission is both effective and safe. But these scenarios are the exception to the rule."

MH - Student group fights deportation of peers

From my archive of press clippings:

Miami Herald

Student group fights deportation of peers

Sunday, 12.06.09

By DANIEL SHOER ROTH

dshoer@MiamiHerald.com

The students' efforts were so quick and efficient that after just a few days of being held at an immigration detention center, brothers Jesús and Guillermo Reyes were set free.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Pacheco is a 24-year-old Ecuadoran with a student visa whose family was detained in 2006 for not having their paperwork in order.

On Nov. 14 Pacheco received a call telling her a student from Miami Dade College had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)."

NSN - Put Homeland Security in charge of issuing visas

From my archive of press clippings:

The North Star National

Put Homeland Security in charge of issuing visas


January 10th, 2010

Gregory D. Lee

On December 30, 2009, I was a guest on a Monterey, California radio talk show discussing the events leading to the Christmas Day capture of a Nigerian national who attempted to detonate a bomb aboard a Detroit bound U.S. airliner.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"I reasoned that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent with real world experience would do a better job of screening foreign nationals who never intend to return home or have ill will towards the U.S."

&

"(I)t’s time the State Department get out of the visa business since it is incapable of just saying “no!”

A U.S. visa is not a guarantee of entry into the United States. Immigration authorities still have the ability to deny entry and send the traveler back to his home country. Someone with an ICE-scrutinized visa would stand a much better chance of entering the country. Giving ICE total responsibility for visas and immigration eliminates an entire layer of government bureaucracy and increases accountability.

Half of all illegal immigrants in the U.S. are “visa overstays.” Most of these people are not Mexican nationals. They come from all over the world to take advantage of the economic opportunities this country has to offer without bothering to apply for a work visa or permanent residence status. All these people receive pay under the counter or use stolen Social Security numbers to avoid detection. Some marry U.S. citizens and seek legal status by playing on the sympathy of others.

An ICE agent with immigration enforcement experience would do a superior job of screening these people compared to a newly hired, recent college grad foreign service officer who thinks the entire world is entitled to a U.S. visa. ICE agents would have instant access to their own databases and those of other law enforcement agencies to check the names of visa applicants. The next time a father visits a U.S. embassy to report that his radicalized Muslim son has a valid U.S. visa and recently visited Yemen, an ICE agent could immediately enter the person’s name on the no-fly and terrorism watch lists. He wouldn’t have to write endless cables to Washington to seek permission. He could cancel the visa on the spot and share the information with the airlines, CIA, Interpol and the FBI. These are things the State Department hesitates to do. It has a culture that firmly believes law enforcement and diplomacy don’t mix, and I agree."

_____
Gregory D. Lee is a syndicated columnist for The North Star National. You can reach him through his website: www.gregorydlee.com

re: "Obama's Aunt Zeituni is Back in Boston"

TSB at The Skeptical Bureaucrat ("Giving my fellow Americans the view from my cubicle") had an update on a famous visa overstay case.

Money quote(s):

"Ms. Zeituni Onyango, the Kenyan Aunt of the President of the United States (KAOPOTUS) and our nation's foremost immigration scofflaw, is back in Boston and living in public housing again while preparing for her next deportation hearing"

&

"(H)er next hearing is scheduled for April Fools Day. If an immigration judge rewards her decade of law-breaking with a grant of asylum, I don't know who will be the bigger fools: the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or the millions of immigrants who went to the trouble of complying with U.S. laws over the past ten years."

LAT - Homeland Security shifts focus to employers

From my archive of press clippings:

Los Angeles Times


Homeland Security shifts focus to employers


A new policy will aim enforcement efforts at those who hire illegal workers. But immigration raids will continue, sources say.

By Josh Meyer and Anna Gorman March 31, 2009

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington -- Stepping into the political minefield of immigration reform, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano soon will direct federal agents to focus more on arresting and prosecuting American employers than the illegal laborers who sneak into the country to work for them, department officials said Monday.

The shift in emphasis will be outlined in revamped field guidelines issued to agents of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, as early as this week, several officials familiar with the change said.

Read the whole article here.

_________

josh.meyer@latimes.com

anna.gorman@latimes.com


Antonio Olivo of the Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.