Central American Presidents Hold Summit on Gangs:

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000719

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR WHA/PPC, WHA/CEN, INL/LP, PRM/PRP, AND EB
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KCRM KJUS EPET KDEM SNAR HO
SUBJECT: Central American Presidents Hold Summit on Gangs:
Call for Greater USG Assistance and Highlight Deportations



1. (U) Central American Presidents held a one-day summit in
Tegucigalpa on the issue of gangs. The presidents also
addressed the issues of high oil prices, democracy in
Nicaragua, and the Pope. On gangs, the presidents urged
greater U.S. financial and technical assistance to combat
the gang problem and claimed the USG needed to provide more
information about gang members deported from the U.S.
Ironically, the summit was held the same day a Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
meeting of Central American INL offices was held in Panama
to discuss gang issues and USG assistance efforts on the
subject.


2. (U) The declarations of the presidents can be found on
the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at:
http://www.sre.hn/protempore(percent)2023/cum bresjefesdeesta
dosica.html


3. (SBU) The GOH invited the USG at the last minute to send
a representative to the summit, but the USG declined to do
so. It now appears a follow-on summit will be held in
Honduras at the end of April to further discuss this issue
and that and invitation for U.S. participation will likely
be extended.


4. (SBU) EmbOffs briefed a Los Angeles Times reporter on
background April 1 to provide the U.S. perspective on the
issue of gangs. Post's Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) Attache also clarified that DHS gives the names, dates
of birth , reasons for deportation from the U.S., and a
summary of any prior criminal activity of all deportees to
Central American governments, and again upon arrival, prior
to their deportations from the U.S.


5. (U) Post notes that deportees in Honduras are processed
through the Centers for Returned Migrants at the airports in
Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, run by Honduran Immigration
and the Catholic Church, which until relatively recently
received funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM) via the International Organization for
Migration (IOM).

Palmer