US Consulate General Cd. Juarez Warning: Threats of Violence Against USG Interests

Image via WikipediaThis was issued today, July 15. Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico by area.  The three most important economic centers in the state are: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the state capital; and Delicias.

Threats of violence against U.S. government interests in Chihuahua

The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez is issuing this Emergency Message for U.S. citizens in the state of Chihuahua (“Emergency Messages” were formerly known as “Warden Messages”).  The Consulate has distributed the following message to our staff:

Mexican authorities have captured key members of the cartels active in Juarez. These successes also bring with them the potential for an increase in violence. The cartels may seek to retaliate and increase their attacks against rival cartel members, Mexican law enforcement and/or the public in general.

Information has come to light that suggests a cartel may be targeting the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez or U.S. Ports of Entry.  In the past, cartels have been willing to utilize car bombs in attacks.  We ask American citizens to remain vigilant.

If the Consulate should receive any credible threat information that provides a specific time and place, that information will be disseminated immediately.

Read the whole thing here.

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State Dept's Counternarcotics Programs: Over $1 Billion, Five Countries And ...

The GAO released its report on  the Department of State’s Counternarcotics Performance Management System recently. Excerpts:

The Department of State (State) received over $1 billion in its fiscal year 2010 appropriation for international counternarcotics assistance programs. The vast majority of this funding—about 90 percent in fiscal year 2010—supports counternarcotics programs in five countries—Mexico, Afghanistan, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is primarily responsible for implementing U.S. assistance programs involving eradication of illicit crops, interdiction of drug trafficking, and drug demand reduction, which represented about 85 percent of State’s counternarcotics appropriation in fiscal year 2010.2 INL implements a large share of its funding through contractors, primarily for aviation support for eradication and interdiction efforts.

The chart below includes funding from Economic Support Fund and Development Assistance accounts, implemented by USAID for alternative development programs, but excludes centrally managed accounts and Overseas Contingency Operations funding.

Extracted from GAO report

According to INL officials responsible for contract management, INL generally does not link the performance of individual contracts to its overall program performance assessments, in part because performance measures in contracts relate specifically to fulfillment of contract requirements rather than broad program goals. For example, performance measures in the aviation equipment and support contracts define targets for availability of aircraft and the number of flights to be conducted, not drug interdiction or eradication targets. In addition to aviation equipment and support, which constitute the bulk of contract obligations related to counternarcotics efforts, other INL counternarcotics contract activities include meal services and lodging for counternarcotics personnel, and commodities, such as fuel and vehicles. According to INL officials, State does not have a centralized inventory of counternarcotics contracts.

Overseas posts are generally responsible for setting contract requirements and conducting contract oversight of counternarcotics activities.

Help me out here -- isn't this a tad confusing?

If the performance of the individual contracts are not linked to the overall program, and if each post is responsible for contract requirements and oversight, how are all these activities tie together into a coherent and effective counternarcotics program as a whole? 

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US Declares Ecuadorian Ambassador "Persona Non Grata"

The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Arturo Valenzuela had reportedly informed the Ecuadorian Ambassador to the United States, Luis Gallegos on April 7 that he had been declared persona non grata and must leave the United States as soon as possible.

Earlier this week, Ecuador had declared US Ambassador Heather Hodges personal non grata and was asked to leave the country as soon as possible (see Ecuador Declares US Ambassador "Persona Non Grata" Over Dirty Laundry). So now, compliments returned, what's next?   

Via CNN:

In a diplomatic tit for tat, the U.S. State Department said Thursday it has ordered the Ecuadorian ambassador expelled from the United States.

The move follows the expulsion of Heather Hodges, the U.S. ambassador to Ecuador, earlier this week over the contents of a leaked State Department cable made public by WikiLeaks.

The Ecuadorian government declared Hodges persona non grata and asked her to leave as soon as possible, the state-run Andes news agency reported.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino declined to call it an expulsion, though Hodges was effectively being kicked out of the country.

"Obviously, we believe that she was unjustifiably declared persona non grata," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Wednesday before the decision on the expulsion.

Read the whole thing here.



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• Ecuador asks US ambassador to leave over WikiLeaks row (guardian.co.uk)

In a War That Must Not Be Named, Leadership and Security On the Line

Image via Wikipedia

I've posted a first person account here of a Foreign Service officer assigned to a border post.  One wonders if this account is an isolated case or typical of how this is handled in our border posts.  Are our diplomats there routinely told to just suck it up or to go curtail amidst a war next door that must not be named?  

First, a few quick points:

#The phone tree as I understand it is regularly updated by the Regional Security Office to ensure that the emergency contact number of mission members are correct. The CLO runs a separate phone tree for family members. The RSO then runs periodic test to make sure employees and dependents are reachable on their contact phones and back up phones.  I have never seen this run by the MGT or by Consular Sections, but I suspect anybody could be tasked to do this at much smaller posts in a collateral role.

#Worldwide Availability: All officers are considered worldwide available, that is, prepared to go where needed; ready, at any time, to meet the needs of the Service. Needs of the Service trumps almost everything else, almost always. The first two tours of entry level officers are normally "directed." New employees can put in their bid lists, but they could end up going to places not on their lists. Needs of the Service. Over 60% of FS posts are considered "hardship," in isolated, unhealthful and even dangerous environments.  Family members may not even be authorized to join the employee or even if they join, they potentially could be evacuated at any later time. Once saw a mid-level officer who started with a huge bid list, later shrunk down to 6 positions, all in Iraq. Needs of the Service. He had choices, six of them; all in Iraq.  

#Together with the "no double standard" is the "need to know" policy (see 7 FAM 053.2-2 b).  Had the senior officials at the consulate told the junior officers about the impending raid impacting their security, might they have been required under the law to share the information with private Americans (unless the case was an exception under 7 FAM 052 (4))? 

But -- if there was any doubt as to the interpretation of the regs in relation to these two policies, post management could have picked up the phone and ask CA/PRI for guidance.  That said, I can't understand why the employees not in the know could not have been ordered to have an official sleepover at the consulate office instead of leaving them out in the open on the day of the drug raid.  Surely, this was not the first raid in Mexico in close proximity to USG housing/facilities.  Is sheltering at home albiet blindly, standard operating procedure for all border posts?   

#Leadership matters. Entry level officers on their first tours obviously do not have the same experience as seasoned officers even if they have previously lived/worked overseas.  Their fears are understandable. Their anger at being shut out is also understandable. People need to feel they matter.  Telling them to basically suck it up because they received danger pay or to go ahead and curtail due to legitimate fears is not good leadership and management. It builds distrust and without trust, the game, as the cliché goes, is over; teamwork becomes a fairy tale.

There are six border posts in Mexico: Cd. Juarez, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana.  Prior to the Cd.Juarez shooting last year, none except the Consular Agency in Raynosa had danger pay.

In 2009, The Telegraph reported that the annual murder rate in Cd. Juarez has reached 133 per 100,000 inhabitants, surpassing Caracas, Venezuela. The comparable murder rate in New York last year was six per 100,000.

The report quoted Norte, the local newspaper in Ciudad Juarez: "With this, our city has reached a new historic mark in violent acts that verifies this is the most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones." The victims in Ciudad Juarez this year have included 85 children, 107 women and 49 police officers. There have been beheadings and dismemberments and one victim was tied between two trucks and ripped apart. Most of the crimes remain unsolved."

And yet, it was not until March 14, 2010, the day after the Cd. Juarez US Consulate murders, that the border posts received a 15% danger pay differential.   (See Mexican Border Posts Get 15% Danger Pay | Mar 23, 2010)

That same weekend, six US Consulates in Mexico also went on authorized voluntary departure (See Six US Consulates in Mexico on Authorized Departure).

Over 35,000 people killed right next door, including at least 24 journalists and we still do not call that war on our doorstep a war.   As of March 13, 2011, Cd. Juaraez and Monterrey are up at 20% danger pay, Nogales down to 5% and the rest remains at 15%.


Perhaps the FSO's account should encourage not just a discussion on leadership in a crisis but also what it means to be a diplomat in this new and turbulent world.  Should diplomats need to have a new mindset that they are vulnerable like soldiers? And if so, what does that mean in terms of their ability and training to protect themselves and their loved ones?  

DOD which is responsible for extracting large numbers of civilians in harm's way during disasters and civil strife, has a joint publication on Noncombatant Evacuation Operations.  In it, it gave top billing to a legal and political maxim, "The people's safety is the highest law."

In fact, it's just not DOD in an evacuation.  Organizations often tout their people as their greatest strength and resource and their safety, a sort of prime directive.  Why else do we evacuate people from harm's way (except in diplomatic posts in war zones)? Why have companies evacuated their personnel out of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake/tsunami and with the increasing bad news on the nuclear reactors? As the familiar phrase go -- in the abundance of caution ...to ensure their safety. 

But what happens when the highest law collides with strategic national interest?

We are talking about Mexico here, but we could just as well be talking about Japan, for instance. Or Pakistan, or Iraq, Afghanistan and on and on.

Noting that every day is a dangerous day for employees working at US Mission Pakistan, the Office of the Inspector General writes that "Mission leadership and Washington policymakers recognize and accept this risk in order to pursue vital national strategic and security priorities."

Similarly, leadership and policymakers understand that unarmed civilians in a war zone is at great risk, but they chose to stand up embassies and consulates and put diplomats in the middle of conflict, anyway.  An accepted risk. 

And why does it take so long, and often at the very last minute for an ordered evacuation to take place?  Because it is a political decision, even if no one would admit to that. Governments, including ours,  may not want to send the signal that it has lost faith in the ability of the host country to tackle emergencies whether of political nature or natural calamities.  Most especially, if the host country is a close ally, and where our national interest requires that we help shore up its support. The negative connotation of an evacuation undermines that.  Thus, one can conclude that if employees remain in the danger zone, it means somebody has already calculated that risk against vital national strategic and security interest.  And accepted that risk.    
 

I supposed we may think of life in the Service as if it were a weighing scale -- the national strategic and security priorities on one side and on the other side, the acceptable personal risk on the employees.   But not everyone will get to look at that scale. And not everyone will get to make the judgment call.  Employees do not get to vote, diplomatic missions are not democracies.

They ought to teach this at A100. 

On second thought, they ought to have this in the recruitment flyer. 

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• U.S. Immigration Agent Killed in Mexico (time.com)
• Juarez mayor: City winning war with drug cartels (cnn.com)
• US man killed during visit to Mexico border city (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• WIKILEAKS: Mexico's Army Worked With Extrajudicial Vigilante Gangs In Juarez (businessinsider.com)
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US Mission Mexico: ICE Special Agents Killed/Wounded at Fake Roadblock on Road to Monterrey

Special Agent Jaime Zapata killed, Special Agent Victor Avila wounded

ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata was killed Tuesday, February 15 when gunmen fired on the diplomatic plate SUV he was riding in an apparent ambushed at a fake roadblock. LAT reported that Zapata and another agent, Victor Avila who was wounded in the gunfire but survived the attack were driving from Mexico City toward the northern city of Monterrey when they were attacked in the state of San Luis Potosi.

LAT also says that U.S. Immigration and Customs officials said Wednesday that Zapata was a native of Brownsville, Texas, and four-year veteran of the department on loan from the Laredo, Texas, ICE office. He and the Agent Avila were attached temporarily to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Here is a statement from DHS Secretary Napolitano on February 15, 2011:

“I’m deeply saddened by the news that earlier today, two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents assigned to the ICE Attaché office in Mexico City were shot in the line of duty while driving between Mexico City and Monterrey by unknown assailants.

One agent was critically wounded in this attack and died from his injuries. The second agent was shot in the leg and remains in stable condition.

U.S. law enforcement agencies are working closely with Mexican authorities who are investigating the shooting to ensure the perpetrators of this unconscionable crime are captured as quickly as possible.

Let me be clear: any act of violence against our ICE personnel – or any DHS personnel – is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety. The full resources of our Department are at the disposal of our Mexican partners in this investigation. We remain committed in our broader support for Mexico’s efforts to combat violence within its borders.

I ask that you join me in praying for our fallen and wounded colleagues. Please keep them, and all our DHS personnel serving abroad or in harm’s way, in your thoughts.”

On February 16, Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder also decided to establish a joint task force between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice "to work with Mexico in tracking down the perpetrators and swiftly bring them to justice." The joint task force will be led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"This joint task force reflects our commitment to bring the investigatory and prosecutorial power of the U.S. Government to bear as we work with the Mexican Government to bring these criminals to justice," said Secretary Napolitano. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the ICE agents' families and loved ones, as we are reminded of the risks and sacrifices undertaken every day by the men and women on the frontlines in protecting the safety and security of the American people."

"The murder of Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the shooting of another ICE agent provide a sad reminder of the dangers American law enforcement officers face every day," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Working with our Mexican counterparts, we have already launched an aggressive investigation, and this joint task force will ensure that every available resource is used to bring the perpetrators of this terrible crime to justice."

The LAT adds that ICE has between 25 and 30 agents in Mexico. Agents also have worked with the government to train Mexicans in advanced investigative techniques used in customs and smuggling investigations.

We're not going to hear that these men were victims of a random act of violence and were not targeted, are we?


Updated 2/17 @11:28 pm

On February 17, US Consulate General Monterrey issued the following Warden Message:

On February 15, one U.S. government employee was murdered and another seriously wounded in an attack while traveling in a U.S. government vehicle on Mexican Highway 57 near Santa Maria del Rio, San Luis Potosi.  The Mexican government has assured the U.S. Embassy that all necessary actions to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice will be taken.

American citizens residing in, visiting, or traveling through the geographic area bordered by, and including, the central Mexican cities of San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Leon, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende should maintain a heightened sense of alert while the Mexican government investigation into this incident continues.  Americans in this area should monitor local news and information to stay informed about situations that could affect their security. 

The U.S. Mission has instructed its employees and their families to defer travel to the State of San Luis Potosi, effective immediately.  U.S. citizens should defer unnecessary travel to the State.

The most recent data available from state.gov indicates that of the 18 US posts in Mexico, the following six have been designated danger pay posts:

Ciudad Juarez       20%
Monterrey            20%
Matamoros          15%
Nuevo Laredo     15%
Tijuana                15%
Nogales                5%

The danger pay allowance is designed to provide additional compensation above basic compensation to all U.S. Government civilian employees, including Chiefs of Mission, for service at places in foreign areas where there exist conditions of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism or wartime conditions which threaten physical harm or imminent danger to the health or well-being of an employee.  These conditions do not include acts characterized chiefly as economic crime.

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Former WHA PDAS Craig Kelly Joins Top Heavy Cohen Group

 Via PRNewswire last week:


The Cohen Group announced today that Ambassador Craig Kelly, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, has joined the firm as a Vice President.

"Ambassador Kelly is a widely respected professional and gifted diplomat who will help us serve our clients and expand our work in the Americas," said Secretary William Cohen, chairman of The Cohen Group.
As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs for the past three years, he was the United States' senior-most professional diplomat for policy and management issues related to U.S. diplomacy in 34 countries from Canada to Chile and second-ranking State Department official responsible for these matters.  He led his bureau's economic and commercial diplomacy and was point person on sensitive issues such as Honduras and Cuba.

From 2004 to 2007, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile, where he was a strong advocate for American business and launched several initiatives in science and technology, education and sports.

Prior to this, he was the Executive Assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2001-2004, supervising Secretary Powell's staff and traveling with him to more than ninety countries.  Before this position, he was Chief of Staff to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Pickering from 1999-2001.  He also served as Chief of the Political-Military Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, was the acting director of Western European Affairs at the National Security Council, and also served in U.S. Embassies in Rome, Italy, and Bogota, Colombia.

Ambassador Kelly speaks Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.  A native of the Los Angeles area, he received both his Ph.D. and undergraduate degree from UCLA, studied at the National War College, and earned a degree from France's Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in Paris.

The Cohen Group is a global strategic advisory firm led by former Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.  Founded in 2001 to help multinational business clients accelerate growth, pursue major initiatives, and overcome problems, The Cohen Group has offices in the U.S., United Kingdom, China and India and serves clients in North America, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa and Latin America.
The addition of Ambassador  Kelly elevates The Cohen Group's Latin America practice to foremost among advisory firms, as well as strengthening its capabilities globally.  He joins a deep roster of senior talent at The Cohen Group which includes, among others:

• General Joseph Ralston, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;

• Ambassador Marc Grossman, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey;

• Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who succeeded Ambassador Grossman as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and also served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO and to Greece;

• Lord George Robertson, who served as NATO Secretary General and the UK Defense Minister;

• Admiral James Loy, who served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Commandant of the US Coast Guard, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, and Under Secretary of Transportation;

• General Paul Kern, who served as the Commander of the Army Materiel Command and the Secretary of the Army's Senior Adviser for Research, Development and Acquisition;

• Lt. General Joe Yakovac, who served as Director of the Army Acquisition Corps and Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology;

• Lt. General Harry Raduege, who served as Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, Commander of the Joint Task Force Global Network Operations.

The Cohen Group is comprised of 45 professionals with many centuries of combined experience working in top-level positions in Congress, the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community, other federal agencies, European and Asian governments, and international organizations. The Cohen Group assists its clients to better understand and shape the business, political, legal, regulatory, and media environments in which they operate. This includes developing strategic business plans to help clients achieve their objectives and actively participating with clients in the execution of those plans. The Cohen Group practice groups include Aerospace & Defense; Homeland Security; Information Technology & Telecommunications; Energy & Resources; Transportation & Logistics; Financial Services & Investment; Real Estate; China; and India. The Cohen Group also has a strong strategic partnership with DLA Piper, an international law firm with over 3,700 lawyers and 68 offices in 30 countries throughout the world.

Active links added above.



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US Consulate General Monterrey personnel urged to keep kids at home following American School Shootout

Image via WikipediaThe U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, Mexico released the following Warden Message on August 22, 2010:

As I am sure you are aware, a shoot out occurred on August 20 in front of the American School in Monterrey (AFSM).  An investigation is continuing into the details, but at this point it appears that it was an attempted kidnapping targeting the relatives of a local business executive.  While it does not appear that U.S. families were targeted, the sharp increase in kidnapping incidents in the Monterrey area, and this event in particular, present a very high risk to the families of U.S. citizens who might be become incidental victims.  It is incumbent on all of us to take measures to reduce exposure to risk and enhance personal security.

The security and law enforcement personnel of the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey have intensively engaged federal and local law enforcement officials, as well as the leadership of both AFSM and the San Roberto Schools to determine measures that can be taken to protect children attending these schools.  The U.S. Mission in Mexico is also assessing on an ongoing basis the security of the consulate.  In addition to that, we have engaged security officials at a national level on measures to address the overall security of the Monterrey area.

These various security measures will proceed on separate timelines, and they will need to be driven by realities on the ground.  U.S. Consulate and Embassy personnel will review the input obtained on the immediate implications of the August 20 incident at AFSM, and what measures can be taken to improve the security of AFSM and the San Roberto School.  In the interim, the U.S. Ambassador has urged U.S. personnel at the consulate to keep their children at home while we assess the risks and what measures can be taken to reduce it.

Read the whole thing here.

Monterrey has been a 15% danger pay post since 03/14/2010.

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Say hello to the new US Ambassador to El Salvador, Maria del Carmen Aponte

President Obama announced today his intent to recess appoint four nominees to fill key administration posts that have been left vacant for an extended period of time. One of the four is his nominee to be US Ambassador to El Salvador, Maria Carmen del Aponte. The WH points out that the four appointees have waited an average of 303 days for Senate confirmation.  Below is an excerpt from the WH statement:

“At a time when our nation faces so many pressing challenges, I urge members of the Senate to stop playing politics with our highly qualified nominees, and fulfill their responsibilities of advice and consent,” President Obama said. “Until they do, I reserve the right to act within my authority to do what is best for the American people.”

Maria del Carmen Aponte, Nominee for Chief of Mission, Republic of El Salvador


Maria del Carmen Aponte is currently an attorney and independent consultant with Aponte Consulting and serves on the Board of Directors of Oriental Financial Group. From 2001-2004, Ms. Aponte was the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA). Prior to that, she practiced law for nearly twenty years with Washington D.C. based law firms. Ms. Aponte also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council of La Raza, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the University of the District of Columbia.  She is also a member of the Board of Rosemont College. She served as president of the Hispanic National Bar Association; the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia; and as a member of the District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Commission.  In 1979, as a White House Fellow, Ms. Aponte was Special Assistant to United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary Moon Landrieu. Ms. Aponte has a B.A. in Political Science from Rosemont College, an M.A. in Theatre from Villanova University, and a J.D. from Temple University.

The most recent US Ambassador to El Salvador is Bush political appointee, Charles Glazer. He departed San Salvador in January 17, 2009. Career diplomat, Robert Blau has been Charge d'Affaires since his departure.



Related items:
President Obama Announces Recess Appointments to Key Administration Posts
Obama uses recess appointment for El Salvador ambassador | Josh Rogin | The Cable


Related posts:

• Officially In: Mari Del Carmen Aponte to San Salvador | Diplopundit | Dec 10, 2009
• SFRC Hearing: Mari Carmen Aponte | Diplopundit| Mar 17, 2010
• A Rough Week in the Diplomatic World (assassination attempt ...| May 01, 2010
• SFRC Clears Ambassadorial Nominees to 28 Posts, Also Clears USAID ...| Aug 04, 2010

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Operation Coffee Country Update: Three Colombian Nationals Extradited to the United States to Face Alien Smuggling and Visa Fraud Charges

Image by Colombian Travels via Flickr

In June 2009, we posted this item here: "Operation Coffee Country" Nets Three for Smuggling and Visa Fraud.

Late last week, DOJ announced the extradition of the three Colombian nationals to the Unite States where they each face a maximum sentence of 25 years and a maximum fine of $250,000 for each of the three charges: conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for profit,  alien smuggling for profit, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

Three Colombian nationals have been extradited from Colombia to the United States on charges of conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit, alien smuggling for profit, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with their alleged roles in an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud scheme through which they fraudulently procured visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. The extraditions were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, U.S. State Department; and Director John Morton of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Heliber Toro Mejia, 52; Humberto Toro Mejia, 60; and Luz Elena Acuna Rios, 52; all of Bogotá, were charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Feb. 4, 2009. The defendants were arrested on June 2, 2009, by Colombian authorities in Bogotá on provisional arrest warrants in response to a U.S. government request for their arrest. The defendants have been in custody in Colombia since their arrest and prior to their extradition to the United States. Humberto Toro Mejia was arraigned in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today and ordered detained by U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle. Heliber Toro Mejia and Luz Elena Acuna Rios were arraigned on July 14, 2010, and ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay.

According to the indictment, the defendants were the leaders of an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud ring that profited by assisting otherwise inadmissible Colombian nationals in fraudulently procuring visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. To support the visa applications of alien applicants, the defendants and other conspirators allegedly created fictitious backgrounds for the aliens and fraudulent supporting documentation, including paperwork that appeared to be official Colombian government-issued documents such as tax filings and birth and marriage certificates. The indictment alleges that the conspirators coached the aliens on how to pass the visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá by answering questions untruthfully. During the course of this conspiracy, which according to the indictment lasted between July 15, 2005, and March 20, 2007, more than 100 aliens are alleged to have fraudulently obtained or attempted to fraudulently obtain a U.S. visa. According to the indictment, many of those aliens who did obtain a fraudulently-procured visa used that visa to enter the United States.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for profit, 10 years in prison for alien smuggling for profit, and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Each defendant is also subject to a maximum fine of $250,000 for each charge.

The charges are the result of “Operation Coffee Country,” a coordinated international investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service - Regional Security Office in Bogotá and the ICE Attaché’s Office in Bogotá. The Diplomatic Security Service - Criminal Investigations Division and the ICE Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C. provided substantial assistance.

The government of Colombia, including the Colombian Department of Administrative Security and Colombian prosecutors, provided significant assistance and support during the investigation, arrest and extradition of the defendants. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with their counterparts in Colombia to effect the extradition.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney James S. Yoon of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick W. Yette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Significant assistance from the Office of International Affairs was provided by Trial Attorney Nicolette Romano.

An indictment is merely a formal accusation. It is not proof of guilt, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The entire announcement is here. 

Quickie: RSO Belize did 19 fugitive returns to the U.S. in 2009

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You didn't know that, did you? Well, here is one from Kirk Lang/Westport News about DSS agent and Regional Security Officer, Robert Kelty who recently received an Investigative Excellence Award from the U.S. Marshals Service. Read  Westport native wins investigative honors for bringing murder fugitive to justice |  Thursday, June 3, 2010. Excerpt below: 

He's worked a presidential inauguration. He's traveled with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to China. He was the assistant regional security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, for two years ahead of the 2004 Olympics.

Robert Kelty, a Westport native, clearly isn't stuck in a cubicle working 9 to 5.

In fact, he recently received, along with three other Diplomatic Security Service agents, the Investigative Excellence Award from the U.S. Marshals Service for helping bring to justice a fugitive murder suspect. Jamaican citizen Patrick Brown was wanted for allegedly stabbing a man to death in Boston in 1995, but had been hiding in southern Belize. Brown was once profiled on television's "America's Most Wanted."

Kelty, the regional security officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belize, is not unaccustomed to making "America's Most Wanted" the no-longer wanted.

Brown was the third fugitive featured on the John Walsh-hosted TV show over the past year that his office and the Belize Police Department captured and returned to U.S. soil. But the third time was the charm as far as earning something nice to put on display in his office.

"I appreciate the recognition from my colleagues in the U.S. Marshals Service," Kelty wrote in an e-mail interview. "But the greatest reward is the satisfaction that a dangerous fugitive will face justice in the U.S. after 15 years on the run and that the family of the victim may finally have closure after the tragedy they experienced."

Prior to laying low in Belize, Brown was living in Costa Rica, but Kelty, acting on a tip, partnered with colleagues in neighboring Costa Rica and Belize to investigate Brown's alleged connection to a drug gang in Costa Rica. When the heat was turned up by the Costa Rica investigation that began in September 2009, Brown fled to Belize. Kelty, with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, picked up the trail and tracked Brown to southern Belize, where he was arrested by local authorities in February. Brown has since been flown to the United States, and is expected to stand trial for murder.

Kelty, Paul Trachtenberg, Wade DeWitt and Jason Meixner were the first Diplomatic Security Special Agents ever to be recognized and receive the Investigative Excellence Award by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Asked to cite the most challenging thing in bringing Brown to justice, Kelty responded, "Anytime an international fugitive is returned to the U.S., it is a complicated matter. It is extremely important that the proper coordination occurs within the Belize Police Department and the government of Belize, and that each step of the investigation, capture and subsequent return follows both U.S. and Belizean laws.

"Fortunately, Diplomatic Security has a tremendous amount of experience in this area as Diplomatic Security returned 136 international fugitives in 2009."
[...]
As the regional security officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belize, Kelty's job is to make sure that the business of diplomacy is conducted safely and securely.

"That means -- first and foremost -- that I am responsible for protecting our ambassador, our diplomatic staff and the embassy from acts of terrorism, crime and even natural disasters," he said. "I am also responsible for investigating passport and visa fraud cases and the return of fugitives. Last year, my office worked with the Belize Police Department to return 19 fugitives back to the U.S."

Read the whole thing here.

Note that from 1999 until May 2008, 100 fugitives were returned to the U.S. from Belize, approximately 10 fugitive returns per year during that period. Last year, DSS did 136 fugitive returns; 19 of those returns came from Belize, almost double the number from the previous years. I don't know how many RSOs are there at the US Embassy Belmopan, but I hope they have more than one.    

Now more than ever, I'm convinced that Belize is really too good to be true, especially for fugitives. If the manta ray won’t get you, DSS will.

 


Related Post:

Good and Bad from the News Front: Fugitive Returns & Missing Laptops | May 06, 2008

Another Day, Another Evacuation

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Stranded Amcits in Aguas Calientes, Urubamba, Machu Picchu and Cuzco

The State Department has issued the following Travel Alert on the flooding in Peru on January 28:

Heavy rains have caused landslides throughout Peru’s Sacred Valley, blocking overland and train routes into and out of the major tourist destinations of Cuzco and Macchu Picchu.  The government of Peru has declared a state of emergency in the affected region.  The U.S. Embassy is actively engaged in a joint Peruvian-led effort to help evacuate stranded U.S. citizens and others in Aguas Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu.  U.S. citizens intending to travel to the Sacred Valley of Peru should postpone their plans for at least the next several days.

The Peruvian government and the Embassy are sending helicopters to the city of Aguas Calientes to assist in removing people stranded by the weather.  Delays resulting from the rains, high altitude and fuel shortages have hampered air operations.   The Embassy sent teams to Aguas Calientes, where many tourists are stranded; to the town of Urubamba, where tourists who are being evacuated from the area of Machu Picchu are arriving; and to Cuzco, to assist American citizens who are stranded there.  The road from Urubamba to Cuzco is open and transportation is being provided to the evacuees.  U.S. citizens in Cuzco may wish to contact the U.S. Consular Agency located at Avenida Pardo #845, in Cuzco. For inquiries about U.S. citizens in the affected region, please call 1-888-407-4747 or email PeruCuzco@state.gov.

On January 27, the Spokesman confirmed that there are “about 200 American citizens around Aguas Calientes.”

The US Embassy in Peru has issued an update to its Warden Message (Posted: January 27, 2010):

The government of Peru has declared a state of emergency for 60 days in two southeast provinces due to heavy rains.  The region has suffered flash floods, landslides and flooding that have closed roads, bridges and railines.  The airport in Cusco is operating sporadically.

This measure covers the provinces of Cusco and Apurimac, and their towns of Calca, Cusco City, Urubamba, Canchis Quispicanchi, Anta and the Convention.  Included in affected areas are Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu Pueblo. 

The U.S. Embassy has sent field teams to Aguas Calientes, where many tourists are stranded; to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, where tourists who are being evacuated from the area of Machu Picchu are arriving; and to Cusco, to assist American citizens who are stranded there.  The road from Ollantaytambo to Cusco is open and transportation is being provided to the evacuees.  American citizens may wish to contact the US consular agency located at Avenida Pardo #845, in Cusco. 

The Embassy is attempting to send helicopters to Aguas Calientes, at the base of the Machu Picchu ruins, to assist in removing American citizens, and in support of Peruvian Government assistance operations.  Delays resulting from the rains, high altitude and fuel shortages may hamper air operations. 

Read the full Warden Message here.

Colombia: New Barracks Construction Awarded

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The State Department had just awarded a new contact for the construction of barracks in Colombia to Carlos Gaviria Y Asociados S.A., a company based in Bogotá.

The project under U.S. Embassy Bogotá’s Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) consists of the construction of a barracks/housing unit with kitchen, laundry, dining room and living room area, 1110 square meter unit constructed in masonry and concrete. The structure will be one story capable of lodging 120 people (maximum) on bunk beds distributed in 20 separate rooms with restrooms. The project includes, site works, reinforced concrete structure, masonry, plaster and paint, metallic roofing, water and sewer installations, electrical and gas networks.

Place of performance is at Joaquin Paris Military Base, located in San Jose del Guaviare, Guaviare, Colombia. It is located at the southwest part of the country in the Amazonia jungle region. It is located 340 Km from Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, and can be accessed through domestic airlines, river and an under construction road. The average temperature range is between 21 and 32 C and 55 percent humidity. It is considered to be a high risk and hostile region.

The estimated construction cost for this project is between $400 and $700 thousand dollars. The actual contract awarded in dollar amount according to FedBiz is $727,142.92. See the solicitation statement: SWHARC09R0008.doc (741.50 Kb)

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• US-Colombia bases pact signed (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Quickie: Senator LeMieux, Brazil is Waiting

Today’s editorial of The Miami Herald calls on the state’s newbie Senator LeMieux to release his hold on the nomination of Thomas Shannon to be US Ambassador to Brazil. Excerpts below:

Unblock ambassador nomination OUR OPINION: Sen. LeMieux should allow Senate vote on nominee for Brazil post When George LeMieux was appointed three months ago to replace retiring U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, the 40-year-old former chief of staff to Gov. Charlie Crist vowed to focus on making government more efficient and effective. He has a strange way of going about it.

In his first foray into foreign affairs, Sen. LeMieux has placed a ``hold'' on the nomination of President Obama's choice to become ambassador to Brazil, putting a freeze on the Senate confirmation process. This ensures that U.S. relations with the largest country in Latin America are neither efficient nor effective. […] ``I feel like I have a role and a responsibility far greater than other senators do in terms of anything that deals with Latin America,'' he said.

If that's the case, he would not stand in the way of this nomination. Brazil, the fifth most populous country in the world, is the most influential nation in our region, an economic powerhouse and Florida's No. 1 trading partner overseas -- by far. […] Sen. LeMieux has an obligation to either raise specific, serious questions about Mr. Shannon or allow the nomination to go forward. The U.S. relationship with Brazil is too important to be undermined by domestic political squabbles.

Read the whole thing here.

Gem of the Day – Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto DST

Check out this photo from The Democracy Center

Here is a blog post today from The Democracy Center on some new developments with Evo Knievel in Bolivia:

President Evo Morales, equipped with a wall clock as a prop, charged Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in La Paz is engaged in clandestine effort to coerce Bolivia to adopt Daylight Savings Time, moving the nation's clocks forward and backward an hour in coordination with the U.S. To back his claim Morales released a set of intercepted e-mail messages between the Embassy and State Department officials in Washington.

Continue reading Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto Daylight Savings Time. Read the full details on Morales' charge before you read the copies of the intercepted e-mails, then come back here ...

Update 4/2/09: I hope your April Fools' Day wasn't too rough! I have to say that the blog post linked to above was really good, although there is also that good fortune of having a surplus of materials on this one. But two things that might tip you off on this -- 1) government agencies have traditionally been behind the technological curve, so to speak, and State is no exception; it is not running on Windows Vista, thank goodness! 2) "Cousin Luis with a flash drive" is easier said than done. Really. Flash drives are ETDs, and can get you booted out as quickly as tiddledy winks!

Still - the joke does bring a couple of reminders. That quip about not writing anything that could end up on the front page of the Washington Post (add blogs) still holds true. And, Cousin Luis, well, he/she could be a Manchurian candidate for any local job for the conspiracy theorists out there. That would bring us back to cold war footing, won't it?

Remember This? A Year Ago Today

I have a knack for remembering things like this one:

“This kind of survey is imprecise and misleading.”

“It is a snapshot of a self-selecting group, and should not be understood to reflect the views of the nearly 12,000 members of the Foreign Service.”

“She stands in the great tradition of George Marshall, George Shultz and Colin Powell as a Secretary committed to the State Department as an institution, the Foreign Service as an organization, and Foreign Service Officers as individuals.”

“Finally, she has made the State Department the center of our foreign policy process. For those who care about the Foreign Service, nothing could be more important. None of us joined the Foreign Service because of salary, benefits, or locality pay. We joined because we want to serve our country and make a difference in the world. Under Secretary Rice's leadership, we are again at the helm. In the Western Hemisphere, the results are palpable and positive. I am proud to serve under such a fine person and a great Secretary of State.”

Thomas Shannon Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs January 9, 2008 DipNote post on the AFSA Survey (Read his full blog entry here)

map from cdc.gov

My heart is broken every time I read this, really - what helm was he looking at? DOD IS AT THE REAL HELM, how do you copy over? Sigh! … Brooking's Partnership for the America's Commission has recently released a report noting the need for a new hemispheric partnership to address key transnational challenges:

Today, several changes in the region have made a hemispheric partnership both possible and necessary. The key challenges faced by the United States and the hemisphere’s other countries—such as securing sustainable energy supplies, combating and adapting to climate change, and combating organized crime and drug trafficking—have become so complex and deeply transnational that they cannot be managed or overcome by any single country. At the same time, the LAC countries are diversifying their international economic and political relations, making them less reliant on the United States. Finally, the LAC countries are better positioned than before to act as reliable partners.

These guys at Brookings are real funny! Sounds like they did not know who's been doing "palpable and positive" over at the Western Hemisphere these last four years.

U.S. Embassy La Paz on Authorized Departure Now

The Department of State has recently authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel and all family members of U.S. Embassy personnel in Bolivia and suggests all U.S. citizens defer non-essential travel to Bolivia. U.S. citizens currently in Bolivia were encouraged to depart and those who chose to remain in country were advised to be vigilant, to monitor local media, and review their security situation on a regular basis. With two U.S. missions on authorized departure in a span of a week, a quick explanation on an in-house term here: "authorized departure" merely allows the Ambassador greater flexibility in determining which employees or groups of employees may depart, and avoids any negative connotation that might be attached to the use of the term “evacuation.” Once the Under Secretary of State for Management (“M”) approves the evacuation status for post—either authorized or ordered—the 180-day clock “begins ticking” (by law, an evacuation cannot last longer than 180 days). Peace Corps has now temporarily suspended its program in Bolivia and Peace Corps volunteers have left the country. The State Department reports: "Over the course of the past weeks, opposition to the Central government’s policies by five of the nine departments (Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Chuquisaca and Tarija) has turned increasingly violent. Hunger strikes, marches and road blocks that were initially peaceful have become violent as pro-government and opposition forces attempt to consolidate or impede control of government buildings and strategic facilities, such as the gas and oil pipelines. To date, more than a dozen persons have died and over 100 persons have been seriously injured. Police and military police have lost control of the situation in some areas and cities of those departments, and the road blocks and other measures taken by the opposition are making gas, diesel and other essential items unavailable. No one can, with any degree of confidence, predict what may happen in the near future." Read more about the U.S. Embassy La Paz here, and the current Travel Warning here. The Bolivian melt-down continues. The Embassy did resume full consular operation yesterday including visa services but pointed out that the potential for last minute changes is there. Our safe travel wishes to friends returning home from Bolivia and Yemen. To all our friends left in La Paz and Sana'a, take care and stay safe.

Diplomatic Snub Over

It looks like Honduras' diplomatic snub concluded last week. After a one-week delay to show its support for Bolivia, Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Rosales said Honduras would formally receive the credentials of the career diplomat Hugo Llorens on Friday (September 16). AP reports that Ambassador Llorens told reporters after meeting with Rosales on Tuesday that "relations between the U.S. and Honduras are excellent." He said he looks forward to a face-to-face meeting with President Zelaya. Meanwhile, Ambassador Philip Goldberg, most recently the President's personal representative to Bolivia is now back in Washington and has recently given an interview to Mac Margolis of Newsweek. Below is a brief excerpt of the interview. You can read the entire piece here. Newsweek: There's been a lot of media on your expulsion from Bolivia. What was the official reason and how did it happen? Ambassador Goldberg: I was in a meeting [on Sept. 10] with the Bolivian foreign minister. I had gone to see him after receiving a call from the Bolivian government informing me that our D.E.A [drug enforcement agency] personnel had to leave immediately from the Chapare region, where president Evo Morales is also the president of the coca growers federation. During that conversation, Morales called the minister's cell phone to say that he had just announced—at a public event, not through the normal diplomatic channels—that he was declaring me persona non grata. The official notification arrived the following day.

Newsweek: The State Department talks about pursuing a positive agenda in the region. Has that agenda been damaged? Ambassador Goldberg: In Bolivia, certainly. Our main activities in the country are assistance programs, which have been demonized in many ways. They've targeted our alternative development programs in the Chapare region, where coca (the raw material of cocaine] is grown. They decided to virtually expel DEA without any kind of explanation. These are not cooperative gestures.

Newsweek: I see you have been described as the former ambassador to Bolivia. Is this final or do you hope to go back to La Paz? Ambassador Goldberg: I'm not going back. I am the former ambassador to Bolivia.

Honduras' Zelaya "Skirting" the Fray

This is breaking news from Prensa Latina. A few minutes ago the Latin American News Agency reports that Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has “adjourned the ceremony to present Hugo Llorens' credentials as US ambassador to Honduras, expressing his solidarity with Bolivia and Venezuela.” It further reports that the ceremony was scheduled for Friday afternoon but Zelaya tasked his Foreign Minister Edmundo Orellana to notify the US Embassy that he would not receive Llorens' credentials until further notice.

The US Embassy Tegucigalpa’s website indicates that Ambassador Llorens was scheduled to arrive in Tegucigalpa today, September 12 but did not indicate when he was scheduled to present his credentials. The “until further notice” part of the report does not mean the new ambassador is being kick out too, it just means that he’s being left to stew in his office, unable to meet anyone because he has not been accredited officially by the host government. He won’t be able to do his job until that formality is done.

I wonder how long this postponement is going to last. Perhaps just long enough to satisfy regional camaraderie without disrupting bilateral relations with the U.S? Hmmn. It’s a snub and a half poke for sure, perhaps also as “soft” payback for our banning of Honduran melons earlier this year? I believe that ban went on for almost six months affecting the largest melon farmer who has reportedly 5,000 employees. Or it could last longer depending on how this trilateral diplomatic row is looking up tomorrow. But it certainly can’t go on indefinitely.

Ambassador Hugo Llorens who came to the United States as a 7 year old Cuban refugee 46 years ago is a career member of the Foreign Service with 27 years experience, primarily in the Latin American region. He most recently served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Spain. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Argentina. Earlier in his career, he also served as the National Security Director for Andean Affairs at the National Security Council. Ambassador Llorens received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and his master's degrees from the University of Kent at Canterbury and the National War College.

In talking about his background during the Senate confirmation hearing (PDF file), he said: “We arrived with a suitcase in hand and a buffalo nickel in our pocket, but knew we were richly blessed by America’s freedoms. We worked hard and had an unquenchable faith in America as the land where dreams come true.”

Also at this hearing, he promised to “support Honduran efforts to take full advantage of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s compact signed in 2005 that provides $215 million for building roads, as well as promoting rural development.” He also indicated that he will “seek to deepen the two-way trade and investment flows derived from the CAFTA-DR.”

I must add that we have a large USAID and Peace Corps presence in Honduras, a large overseas American community and over 50,000 American citizens visiting the country each year.

Can't these guys space this up a bit? I got to get some sleep. I won't be shocked if there's another surprise when I get up in the morning.