CALL ON NEW SALVADORAN DIRECTOR OF MIGRATION

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000550



DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/VO/P, WHA/CEN
DHS FOR USCIS, BICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS KFRD SMIG ES
SUBJECT: CALL ON NEW SALVADORAN DIRECTOR OF MIGRATION

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; HANDLE ACCORDINGLY

1.(SBU) SUMMARY: The Consul General (CG),Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) Attache, Deputy CG and Consular Fraud
Prevention Assistant called on Ruben Alvarado, El Salvador's new
Director of the Department of Migration (Direccion de Migracion y
Extranjeria),on June 10. Embassy Officers reaffirmed Post's
positive relationship with the Migration Department and reviewed the
areas in which we have enjoyed cooperation. Alvarado stated that
the new GOES Administration was reviewing the U.S process for
deporting Salvadorans and that his priorities were border security,
trafficking in persons, exploitation of minors and treatment of
migrants. He said that he appreciated USG assistance to his
department and repeatedly emphasized his intention to continue the
mutually beneficial relationship.

2.(SBU) The CG, Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Attache, Deputy CG and Consular Fraud Prevention Assistant called on
Ruben Alvarado, El Salvador's new Director of the Department of
Migration, on June 10. The Director was unaccompanied during the
meeting. An attorney by profession and still an alternate FMLN
member of the Legislative Assembly for San Salvador, Alvarado
expressed his appreciation for our request for an early meeting with
him. Embassy officers thanked Alvarado for agreeing to see them so
soon after assuming his new responsibilities, and noted that the
Embassy and the Migration Department have long had a beneficial
working relationship, particularly on time-sensitive issues.

3.(SBU) Alvarado said that his only prior experience with migration
issues was as a legislator and attorney involved in oversight of the
procedures of the National Citizen Registration Agency (RNPN).
(Comment: The issuance by RNPN of national identity cards, known by
their Spanish initials as DUIs, has been a contentious issue in
Salvadoran politics, with opposing claims by the country's two major
parties-ARENA and FMLN-that RNPN and municipal officials engage in
fraudulent documentation of individuals to benefit the voter base of
either party. A DUI is also the basis for issuance of a Salvadoran
passport. End comment.)

4.(SBU) Embassy officers provided an overview of our consular and
immigration services objectives, and areas in which we worked with
the Migration Department: speedy repatriation of Americans and GOES
facilitation of exit authorizations; establishing the status of
applicants for US immigration benefits by obtaining information from
Migration Department databases; sharing information in fraud
investigations; verification of documentation for visa and
immigration proceedings; and developing GOES fraud prevention skills
through training and use of technology.

5.(SBU) Alvarado seemed very interested in learning about the ways
his agency cooperated with the Embassy. In the course of our
30-minute meeting he stated four times that his boss, the Minister
of Public Security and Justice, had instructed him to continue
working closely with the Embassy "in areas where cooperation is
effective."

6.(SBU) The Migration Director indicated that the new GOES
Administration was reviewing closely, among other bilateral issues,
deportations of Salvadorans from the US, and the weekly flights into
the country to return deportees. The CG noted that deportations
were handled by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
and that the ICE Attache was looking forward to an early opportunity
to meet with Alvarado. (Comment: ICE Attache reported that Alvarado
contacted him on June 11. End comment.)

7.(SBU) In addition to deportations, Alvarado listed his priorities
as border security, trafficking in persons, the exploitation of
children, and the treatment of migrants. Alvarado said that he was
very concerned that other Central Americans fraudulently applied for
documentation as Salvadorans, and that "even South Americans" were
entering El Salvador fraudulently. The CG responded that the USG
also had concerns in many of the areas cited by Alvarado as his
priorities and wished to continue working with the GOES to address
these concerns. The Director was aware that the Embassy had
provided assistance to his agency with document checking
technologies for ports of entry, and training for migration
enforcement personnel. He said that he appreciated US assistance
and asked about enrolling Migration Department employees,
"especially the new ones," in an upcoming Federal Law Enforcement
Training course offered by ICE at ILEA.


8. (SBU) Comment: Looking beyond his allusions to the admonition
from the Minister of Public Security and Justice, Manuel Melgar,
that he work closely with the Embassy, Alvarado seemed genuinely
prepared to continue our working relationship. In referring to
"treatment of migrants" as one of his priorities, Alvarado did not
offer any specific examples of his concerns in this area, and during
our meeting did not raise internal US policy issues such as
Temporary Protective Status or changes to our immigration law. End
comment.

Blau