U.S. Drug Cops Hunting Potential Illegal Immigrants

by Kintto Lucas

The U.S. warship detained the fishing vessel Elizabeth I with 190 illegal emigrants headed for the United States and escorted it to the port of Esmeraldas, on Ecuador's northern coast. The passengers were en route to Guatemala, and planned to travel from there to the United States over land.

The emigrants were following the path of thousands of Ecuadorians who head for the United States every month, accompanied by "coyotes," or traffickers, who charge $5,000 to $10,000 for their illegal services.

Most of the passengers on the boat came from the southern provinces of Loja and Canar and many had sold all of their belongings in order to pay for the trip.

The Hali Burton had received information on the fishing boat from a U.S. military aircraft that had taken off from the Manta base on the Pacific coast. The Ecuadorian government handed over the base to the U.S. armed forces on Nov. 11, 1999.

Criticisms levelled against the concession are based on clauses that stipulate the base is only to be used by the U.S. military in operations to fight drug trafficking.

Francisco Suescum, director of the Ecuadorian foreign ministry's Air and Maritime Sovereignty division, questioned the U.S. military operations taking place within Ecuador's maritime territory and in international waters, saying "there are no treaties or agreements that permit it."

Suescum affirmed that the arrest of Ecuadorian emigrants is a violation of international treaties because "the United States may only capture foreign vessels when they are infringing on its national territory."

"It is unforgivable that, with the pretext of the anti-drug accord, they are using the Manta base to carry out patrols and arrests in Ecuadorian waters," he said.

Juan Pablo Valdiviezo, head of the foreign ministry's treaties division, observed that the Manta base was ceded solely for use in anti-narcotic efforts and not "for other duties," such as detaining Ecuadorians who, in response to the country's serious economic crisis, seek better lives elsewhere.

Foreign Minister Heinz Moeller, an outspoken defender of the Manta base agreements, declared that the use of a U.S. military aircraft from the base "to assist in intercepting a boat carrying informal (emigrants)" is a violation of the treaty.

Moeller also emphasized that the case has raised issues that merit detailed evaluation, and the ministry plans to gather further information about operations at the Manta base.

"If this type of fly-over violates the accords, we will present our formal protests," said the minister.

But last month, a bulletin from the foreign ministry justified the Hali Burton's intervention against the fishing boat, indicating that it is not the first time a U.S. vessel has detained Ecuadorian emigrants off the nation's coast.

The communique also stated that this type of arrest "is unrelated to the activities underway at the Manta base." But the document did not question the issue, it only emphasized that for those attempting to travel illegally, doing so "is to commit a crime."

Native leader Miguel Lluco, national director of the Pluri-Nation Pachakutik Movement, said the government's statement "is a joke, because it does not question the intervention of the North American armed forces in Ecuador."

Lluco also criticised the intent to "justify the interference of United States ships in arresting emigrants" for the crime these Ecuadorians have committed.

"Ecuadorians leave the country because of the disastrous economic policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) -- which is the same as saying the United States...and then the U.S. armed forces arrest them."

The Native leader said that the "coyotes" should be punished and employment policies must be implemented if the government wants to prevent illegal emigration, but he refuses to accept that "U.S. ships and aircraft are intervening as they see fit in a country that is supposed to be sovereign."

Lluco did not rule out that his movement's legislators could call the foreign minister before Congress to face questioning about "several embarrassing events."

The United States embassy in Quito released a statement saying that the U.S. ship intervened after the Ecuadorian navy had requested that the boat be detained and taken to the Esmeraldas port.

The embassy indicated that the ship was engaged in a routine anti-drug trafficking patrol in international waters when its helicopter spotted a suspicious-looking boat, which turned out to be carrying illegal "immigrants."

"According to international laws," the United States or any other government has the right to board any ship found in international waters, says the diplomatic statement.

The U.S. embassy also stated that the intervention of the military "was a humanitarian act that potentially saved 200 lives," because the fishing boat was transporting the emigrants in desperate and overcrowded conditions.

The statement also expressed regret that the country's economic situation forces many Ecuadorians to leave the country, and called on those considering illegal emigration to rethink the decision and avoid endangering their lives by attempting a sea crossing under dangerous conditions.

The Hali Burton would remain in Ecuadorian waters through today, according to the embassy, as the ship needed to refuel and replenish food supplies. The vessel would then head north with its crew of 60.

Several U.S. ships have arrived at the Manta port in recent months to carry out surveillance operations and to monitor air and maritime spaces.