WALL JUMPER

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000484 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2013 TAGS: ASEC CU PREF SUBJECT: WALL JUMPER Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: AT 4:16 AM ON JUNE 23, ROLANDO PEREZ PERALTA, A 37 YEAR-OLD MALE CUBAN, SCALED THE TWELVE FOOT FENCE SURROUNDING THE U.S. INTERESTS SECTION'S ANNEX HOUSING THE REFUGEE UNIT, AND ENTERED THE PROPERTY. HE WAS IMMEDIATELY APPREHENDED BY USINT GUARDS, WHO CALLED THE REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICER, THE REFUGEE COORDINATOR, AND DHS OFFICERS TO THE SCENE. COM WAS BRIEFED THROUGHOUT, AND AN EAC WAS HELD (SEPTEL). (SEE COMMENTS PARAS 8-9 BELOW.) REFUGEE COORDINATOR AND DHS FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR INTERVIEWED PEREZ, WHO RELATED A NUMBER OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES. THEY THEN CALLED HIS MOTHER AND ASKED HER TO COME TO THE ANNEX. WHEN SHE ARRIVED FIVE HOURS LATER, THEY LEARNED OF HIS DIAGNOSIS OF PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA AND THAT HE WAS NOT TAKING HIS PRESCRIBED MEDICATION. PEREZ AND HIS MOTHER LEFT THE ANNEX AROUND NOON. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) THE USINT ANNEX IS PROTECTED BY TWO GUARD BOOTHS OUTSIDE THE FACILITY, HOUSING CUBAN DIPLOMATIC SECURITY POLICE (CALLED SEPSA). ONE OF THE SEPSA GUARDS SAW PEREZ APPROACH THE FACILITY AT 4:15 AM, AND APPROACHED HIM, BUT PEREZ APPARENTLY CONVINCED THE GUARD HE ONLY WANTED TO READ A BULLETIN BOARD OUTSIDE THE FACILITY. WHEN THE GUARD WALKED ABOUT 40 FEET AWAY, PEREZ SCALED THE 12 FOOT FENCE. WHEN THE GUARD REALIZED WHAT PEREZ WAS DOING, HE RAN BACK TO STOP HIM, ARRIVING JUST AS PEREZ JUMPED FROM THE TOP OF THE FENCE INTO THE FACILITY, LANDING ON CONCRETE AND POSSIBLY INJURING HIS FEET/ANKLES. THE INCIDENT WAS CAUGHT ON OUR VIDEOTAPE. ¶3. (U) GUARDS INSIDE THE FACILITY, WHO WORK FOR USINT, QUICKLY APPREHENDED PEREZ, CHECKED HIM FOR WEAPONS (HE HAD NONE),AND HANDCUFFED HIM. THEY THEN CALLED THE REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICER (RSO),DHS FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, DHS OFFICER, AND REFUGEE COORDINATOR, WHO WENT TO THE SCENE. THE HANDCUFFS WERE REMOVED, AND DHS FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, DHS OFFICER AND REFCOORD INTERVIEWED PEREZ, WHO HAS A PENDING REFUGEE APPLICATION. PEREZ STATED HE COULD NOT WAIT ANY LONGER FOR HIS INTERVIEW. HE CLAIMED THAT NOBODY LIKED HIM, AND THAT EVERYONE WAS AGAINST HIM. HOWEVER, HE ADMITTED TO NEVER HAVING BEEN ARRESTED OR CITED, SAID THAT HIS HOUSE HAD NEVER BEEN SEARCHED, STATED HE HAD NEVER LOST A JOB FOR POLITICAL REASONS, AND SAID HE HAD NOT BEEN PERSECUTED FOR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE COULD CITE ANY CUBAN GOVERNMENT HARASSMENT OR PERSECUTION, HE RESPONDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD IMPLANTED LISTENING DEVICES IN HIS TEETH DURING DENTAL WORK TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, AND INSERTED A CAMERA IN HIS BODY DURING AN APPENDECTOMY. AT THAT POINT, WE ASKED IF HE WAS ON MEDICATION, BUT HE SAID ONLY SLEEPING PILLS. HE ADMITTED THOUGH, THAT HE HAD BEEN TO A PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION YEARS EARLIER. WHEN WE TOLD HIM WE WOULD CALL HIS MOTHER AND AUNT TO TALK WITH THEM, HE RESPONDED THAT THEY AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO KNEW HIM WOULD JUST SAY THAT HE WAS CRAZY. ¶4. (U) WHEN WE REACHED PEREZ' AUNT, THE FIRST THING SHE ASKED WAS "WHAT HAS HE DONE NOW?" PEREZ' MOTHER CAME TO THE REFUGEE ANNEX LATE IN THE MORNING. SHE PRODUCED A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE FROM JUNE 2002 DIAGNOSING HER SON WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PRESCRIBING TWO MEDICATIONS FOR HIM: RISPERDAL AND SENOGUIM (SP?) - SECOND DRUG NOT LEGIBLE. THE MOTHER INDICATED THAT HE HAD NOT TAKEN EITHER OF THESE MEDICATIONS FOR THE PAST YEAR BECAUSE THESE DRUGS WERE BOTH EXPENSIVE AND UNAVAILABLE. PRIOR TO THE LAST YEAR SHE HAD BEEN ABLE TO PROCURE THE MEDICINE FOR HIM FROM SOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES AND ENGLAND. ¶5. (U) THE MOTHER ALSO NOTED THAT PEREZ COULDN'T POSSIBLY GO TO THE UNITED STATES. THERE WAS NO RELATIVE THERE TO TAKE CARE OF HIM, SHE EXPLAINED, ADDING THAT SHE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN GOING. SHE INDICATED THAT HE LIVES WITH BOTH HER AND HIS BROTHER HERE IN HAVANA. ¶6. (U) USINT'S DOCTOR EXAMINED PEREZ' ANKLES, BOTH OF WHICH HE COMPLAINED WERE SORE DUE TO THE JUMP. THE DOCTOR RECOMMENDED TO PEREZ' MOTHER THAT SHE TAKE HIM TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR X-RAYS TO BE SURE HE HAD NOT BROKEN ANY BONES. PEREZ WAS ABLE TO WALK, ALBEIT WITH SOME PAIN. ¶7. (U) DHS OFFICERS EXPLAINED TO PEREZ THAT DHS WOULD STUDY HIS CASE AND, AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, HE MIGHT BE CALLED FOR AN INTERVIEW SHOULD HIS FILE MERIT AN INTERVIEW. HE WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT IT WOULD BE AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR BEFORE HE WAS SCHEDULED FOR AN INTERVIEW, BUT NOT THREE YEARS AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY MISUNDERSTOOD. PEREZ WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT HE NEEDED TO GO HOME TO WAIT TO BE CALLED FOR HIS INTERVIEW, TO WHICH HE AGREED. THE DHS FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR EMPHASIZED THAT JUMPING OVER THE FENCE IN NO WAY PERMITS HIM TO HAVE A FORMAL INTERVIEW OR MOVE AHEAD OF THE LINE OF THOSE WHO HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THEIR TURN FOR AN INTERVIEW. PEREZ INDICATED HE UNDERSTOOD AND APOLOGIZED FOR HAVING JUMPED OVER THE FENCE. REFCOORD AND DHS FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR THEN SPOKE WITH THE SEPSA GUARDS OUTSIDE THE FACILITY, EXPLAINING THAT PEREZ APPARENTLY HAD A PSYCHIATRIC CONDITION, WHICH MAY HAVE MOTIVATED HIS DRAMATIC ACTIONS. WE FURTHER NOTED THAT ILLEGALLY ENTERING A DIPLOMATIC FACILITY CAN, OF COURSE, LAND THE OFFENDER IN JAIL. WE WANTED TO BE SURE THE CUBAN AUTHORITIES UNDERSTOOD PEREZ' MENTAL CONDITION BEFORE DECIDING TO TAKE ANY ACTION AGAINST HIM. THE SEPSA GUARD INDICATED THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SITUATION AND THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEMS. WE THEN ESCORTED PEREZ TO JOIN HIS MOTHER AND A NEIGHBOR WHO HAD JOINED HER. THE THREE PROCEEDED TO DEPART FROM THE ANNEX PREMISES IN A TAXI. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: OUR PRIMARY CONCERN IS THAT THIS INCIDENT NOT BE REPEATED. THIS INTRUDER WAS NOT ARMED AND DANGEROUS, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN. WE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT WALL JUMPING IS A CONVENIENT WAY TO GET AHEAD OF EVERYONE IN LINE FOR A REFUGEE INTERVIEW, OR THAT WALL JUMPING WILL FURTHER THE CHANCES OF APPROVAL FOR APPLICANTS. WE RECENTLY FINISHED INSTALLING RAZOR WIRE ON THE TOP OF THE CEMENT WALLS WHICH CONSTITUTE ABOUT ONE-HALF OF THE PERIMETER OF THE REFUGEE ANNEX. THE OTHER HALF HAS A LOW CEMENT FOOTING (ABOUT 18 INCHES),ON TOP OF WHICH SITS A 12 FOOT HIGH FENCE THOUGHT TO BE DIFFICULT TO SCALE. THIS REASONABLY FIT 37 YEAR-OLD MALE CLIMBED UP AND OVER IN SEVEN SECONDS. WE MUST ASSUME OTHERS CAN DO THE SAME. ¶9. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: THE SEPSA GUARDS ARE BOUND TO BE MORE ALERT AFTER THIS INCIDENT, LIKELY CONFRONTING AND DRIVING AWAY ANY PASSERBY WHO TRIES TO APPROACH THE FENCE AFTER HOURS. WE ARE SENDING A DIPLOMATIC NOTE TO THE FOREIGN MINISTRY ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, REMINDING THEM OF THE OBLIGATION TO PROTECT OUR FACILITY. MEANWHILE, WE ARE MAKING NO PUBLIC STATEMENT ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, AND REMIND ANY USG ENTITY THAT DOES RESPOND TO A QUESTION ABOUT THE INCIDENT THAT UNDER IMMIGRATION LAW REFUGEE CASES ARE PROTECTED BY SIGNIFICANT CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY CONCERNS (I.E. WE DO NOT CONFIRM OR DENY THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL HAS A CASE OR WHAT THE STATUS OF THE CASE IS AT ANY POINT IN THE PROCESS). PARMLY