HOPEFUL WESTERN ALGERIA LOOKS TO THE U.S.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 001326 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958 AS AMENDED: N/A TAGS: PREL ECON SOCI KFRD ASEC CVIS AG SUBJECT: HOPEFUL WESTERN ALGERIA LOOKS TO THE U.S. ¶1. SUMMARY: The northwestern Algerian town of Sig and the neighboring city of Mascara are well established migrant-sending communities that produce a disproportionately large number of visa applicants. A strong migration relationship with immigrant communities in the U.S., combined with the lack of economic opportunities at home, has pushed many residents of the region to try their luck in the United States. In addition to migration, many Algerians from the area seek more contact with the U.S. and look to it as an attractive alternative to traditional partnerships with France and Spain. End Summary. Sig: Producer of Olives and Visa Applicants -------------- ¶2. Conoff traveled to Sig in early September and met with government officials, traders and small business owners. Sig, with a population of about 75,000, is the principal town in an administrative department (daira) comprised of about 120,000 inhabitants. Located 50 km south of Algeria's second city, Oran, Sig sits in a fertile agricultural region that produces olives, grapes and cereals. Although Sig was not exempt from the violence that tore Algeria apart during the 1990s, the daira has not experienced any terrorism-related violence for many years. The primary economic activity in Sig is the cultivation and processing of olives. The Egyptian company Orascom also operates a cement plant on the outskirts of Sig that employs about 2000 local workers. ¶3. According to the daira chief and the mayor of Sig, the biggest impediments to economic development in the region are a lack of skills and technical know-how, and poor access to external markets for the region's agricultural products. In their view, Sig's outwardly looking citizens crave interaction and exchange with foreign investors. ¶4. Small business owners and olive traders validated their leaders' sentiments concerning the desire for increased contact with the United States, and were particularly interested in marketing their agricultural products, especially their olives. Many individuals also showed interest in cultural exchanges with the U.S. and sought information about educational opportunities there. (Note: Post processes a relatively small number of student and exchange visitor visas and practically none of the applicants are from Sig. End note.) Sig Has a Sister in Jersey City �0A; -------------- ¶5. The migration relationship between Sig and the United States is largely the result of a significant community of former Sig residents in northern New Jersey. Jersey City, New Jersey has a sister-city relationship with Sig. According to several current residents of Sig, the first wave of migration from Sig to the U.S. occurred in the late 1980s. Further migration took place via the Diversity Visa process in the 1990s. Though the residents of Sig continue to apply for DVs, the education requirement eliminates a considerable percentage of applicants, and many mostly young residents of Sig apply instead for nonimmigrant visas. ¶6. Despite this well established migration network, remittances from Algerian immigrants (both legal and undocumented migrants) inject only a modest amount of money into the region. Moreover, there is no evidence that these remittances are used for productive investment. The mayor of Sig stated that remittances are used primarily to construct or remodel homes, and to purchase consumer goods such as automobiles. ¶7. The residents of Sig view the United States as a more attractive country for immigration than the traditional destinations of France and Spain. The existence of a well developed migration network with the U.S. alone does not explain this phenomenon, since such networks also exist with the much larger Algerian diasporas in France and Spain. However, the perception that there are greater employment opportunities in the United States, and the belief that the U.S. is more welcoming to immigrants (both legal and undocumented),has influenced many residents of Sig to migrate to America rather than Europe. ¶8. About eight percent of post's nonimmigrant visa applicants come from Sig. Considering the total population of Algeria and the relatively small number of inhabitants of Sig, this is an unusually high percentage of the total applicant pool. Over the past 12 months the nonimmigrant visa refusal rate for all applicants in Algeria was 27 percent. The refusal rate for applicants from Sig, in contrast, was 75 percent. COMMENT: Increased U.S. Presence in Western Algeria? -------------- -------------- ¶9. Based on conversations with a wide variety of contacts from ALGIERS 00001326 002 OF 002 different socioeconomic levels in both the daira of Sig and in the city of Oran, it appears that many Algerians in the northwest of the country believe U.S. influence is confined to Algiers. There is an acute perception that U.S. government programs and interests in Algeria are largely limited to Algiers, with the exception of U.S. investment in the petroleum industry in the Sahara. Several residents shared fond memories of the American Consulate General in Oran (which closed in the mid-1990s) and asked about the possibility of reopening the post. Opening a cultural center or an American corner in Oran would serve as a first step toward reengagement in a region of Algeria in which the people genuinely desire stronger ties with the U.S. FORD