VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSN #1615 1722030
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 212030Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2907
INFO RUEADRO/HQ ICE DRO WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIAO/HQ ICE IAO WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 001615 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CEN 
DHS FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY JMYERS 
NSC FOR DFISK 
 
SENSITIVE 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ES
SUBJECT:  GOES SEEKS EMBASSY SUPPORT WITH DHS ON DEPORTATION 
PROCESSING ISSUES 
 
REFS: A) Barclay-Myers telecom, 6/16/06; B) Myers-Barclay e-mail, 
6/16/06 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Senior GOES officials appealed to Ambassador on 
June 14 for help with El Salvador's deportations-related agenda with 
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Ambassador spoke with DHS 
Assistant Secretary Julie Myers to discuss the issue of DHS financial 
support for document processing.  Progress on this issue and others 
will be essential to maintaining the financially hard-strapped GOES' 
focus on DHS needs.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On June 14, Ambassador met with Salvadoran Minister of 
Interior (Gobernacion) Rene Figueroa, Director of Migration Jorge 
Santibanez Huete, Commissioner for Deportations Jaime Vigil and 
Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States Rene Leon at the 
Minister's request.   Figueroa expressed frustration over the lack of 
progress from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on 
deportation-related issues important to El Salvador and appealed to 
the Ambassador personally to help move the agenda forward.  El 
Salvador "felt abandoned," he said.  Figueroa also said that, given 
the lack of responsiveness from DHS on a list of items important to 
the GOES, his government was questioning the political value of 
cooperating with the U.S. on deportations. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Minister Figueroa told the Ambassador that the GOES had 
made progress on measures asked of it by DHS - in particular, lifting 
the cap on the number of deportees who could arrive on a single 
flight and in a given week, and receiving various DHS delegations  - 
but issues important to El Salvador had gone unaddressed.  Leon 
shared with the Ambassador the draft text of a DHS/ICE press release 
[relating to using videoconferences to expedite out-processing of 
deportees] which, they said, would put the GOES in a very difficult 
situation politically.  Figueroa referred to strong criticism the 
GOES had received domestically for lifting the cap. Leon commented 
that it appeared DHS was interested only in removal of Salvadorans 
from the United States and had not followed up on the comprehensive 
plan.  Leon brought to the meeting a copy of a June 9 letter he had 
sent the Secretary, conveying a letter from Figueroa to Secretary 
Chertoff.  This letter listed 7 items on which the GOES awaited DHS 
action.  Leon stressed the importance of the USG coming forward even 
with small things to help it manage the political issue.  Figueroa 
appealed to the Ambassador to help push El Salvador's agenda, naming 
the $40 processing fee, videoconferencing, and the prisoner exchange 
treaty. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Ambassador expressed disappointment with progress to date, 
especially with the processing fee which had been promised by senior 
DHS officials during their visit to El Salvador in September. 
Embassy officials also reviewed some areas in which the USG had 
sought to carry through, citing the server to be provided by INL and 
collaboration on sharing biometric information.  Emboffs urged GOES 
to approach the Department of Justice to advance the prisoner 
exchange treaty, as DOJ had jurisdiction; Leon asked the Embassy to 
help engage Justice.  (Figueroa noted that they could discuss how to 
move the treaty quickly at the multilateral level if that necessary. 
He said that the GOES was almost ready to send ratification of the 
prisoner exchange treaty to its legislature.)  He also asked 
Ambassador to convey GOES concerns through State Department channels. 
 Immigration Director Santibanez added that GOES officials had met 
with INL Assistant Secretary Ann Patterson, who had indicated that 
she had funds for biometrics.  He asked Embassy to convey to her that 
the GOES was on top of the issue. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ambassador spoke with DHS Assistant Secretary Julie Myers on 
June 16 to review problems related to the processing fee.  Myers 
informed the Ambassador later that day that she had subsequently 
spoken to Santibanez, and that she believed that the issue was on its 
way to resolution. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  Ambassador had pressed hard to have the GOES meet 
DHS goals, using the DHS processing fee as leverage in getting the 
financially hard-pressed GOES to commit resources necessary for 
expeditious reception of more deportees.  The lengthy delay in 
working out a mechanism for delivering the document processing fee 
has undercut USG credibility.  Several of the other issues raised in 
the Figueroa letter are not directly related to the deportation 
issue, but progress in other areas as appropriate would be helpful in 
maintaining GOES focus on DHS' needs.