US embassy cable - 04SANTODOMINGO6134

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 006134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL/LP AND WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2009 
TAGS: PREL, SMIG, KJUS, MARR, DR 
SUBJECT: (S) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: AMBASSADOR, IMMIGRATION 
DIRECTOR DISCUSS CORRUPTION 
 
Classified By: NAS Director Richard Hawkins, reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
1.  (S) Summary:  The Ambassador and Immigration Director 
Baret discussed corruption in Dominican airports and ports on 
November 3, 2004.  The Ambassador named names, including 
military officers assigned to Immigration, and urged 
dismissal and prosecution.  Baret said prosecution was 
difficult, promised action, and asked for more USG help. 
Embassy learned on November 5 that Baret had arranged with 
the Armed Forces Secretary to have one of the leading 
offenders fired.  End summary. 
 
2.  (S) On November 3, 2004, Ambassador met with Dominican 
Immigration Director Carlos Amarante Baret on the subject of 
official corruption in the Immigration organization.  The 
meeting was called to inform and impress upon Director Baret 
the need to implement certain measures to combat corruption, 
especially in Dominican ports of entry.  Ambassador informed 
Baret that specific political appointees and inspectors 
within the General Directorate of Migration were preparing to 
smuggle people to the United States and Europe.  DCM, DHS, 
LEGATT, SAA, NAS, and CONS/Fraud Prevention attended the 
meeting. 
 
3.  (S) Ambassador told Baret Dominican alien smuggling 
organizations have developed a high level of smuggling 
expertise, created extensive logistical support 
infrastructures, and recruited a broad band of corrupt 
officials, including some colonels and general officers of 
the Dominican Armed Forces.  Embassy has received reports 
that employees of Immigration are regrouping after the change 
of government and recommencing their activities.  Ambassador 
told Baret migration inspectors are planning to smuggle 20 
children through El Cibao Airport, near Santiago.  This group 
of inspectors supports alien smuggling organizations that 
charge about USD 9,000 for each smuggled Dominican. 
Ambassador gave Baret names of three of the inspectors. 
Baret said the three plus one other had been or would soon be 
fired. 
 
4.  (S) Ambassador indicated some of the political appointees 
working for Baret had been involved in alien smuggling in the 
past.  He named several names, including the colonel in 
charge of military coordinators and the military coordinator 
at Santo Domingo's Las Americas airport, along with the 
latter's contact in Immigration.  Baret said he had recently 
discussed corruption with the colonel, named Luna, and said a 
subordinate of Luna's sends illegal migrants to European 
countries.  He complained that as soon as he fires one bad 
military officer, another bad one arrives.  He added the 
military coordinator at Las Americas had been interrogated 
the same day concerning a passport case.  DATT and Baret 
discussed whether to let the Armed Forces take action against 
their own people or to involve the Attorney General. 
 
5.  (S) Ambassador said Punta Cana airport, at the eastern 
tip of the island, is another area of concern.  He named 
names, including the supervisor who transferred a known 
people smuggler to Punta Cana and the supervisor of an 
Immigration shift that works with a military contact to 
smuggle aliens.  Baret said he knew the military man in 
question and thought he was a serious, religious, family man. 
 
6.  (S) Ambassador said Immigration in the past never had 
alien smugglers prosecuted.  He encouraged Baret to make an 
immediate change in that area.  Baret said a friend of his 
was approached by the brother of the former Immigration 
director, Siquio Ng de la Rosa, to propose the smuggling of 
four to five PRC nationals per month into the DR.  The 
brother offered the friend USD 1,000 per PRC national and 
Baret USD 5,000.  Baret said he wanted Ng and his brother 
prosecuted in the U.S.  (Note:  DHS is evaluating the 
available information and will decide whether or not to open 
an investigation.  End note.) 
 
7.  (S) DCM urged Baret not to permit the usual practice of 
moving the bad people to a different location.  She pointed 
out the possible impact on U.S.-Dominican cooperation if the 
DR were placed in Tier 3 after the February 2005 evaluation 
of their anti-Trafficking in Persons effort.  Baret said it 
was not easy to pull together the evidence for a trial, and 
the DCM urged administrative sanctions as a second-best 
alternative.  Baret said he had a team on the trail of 
smuggling organizations.  DATT said we must work with the 
Armed Forces to investigate these cases.  Baret said getting 
evidence against Luna, for example, would be difficult. 
LEGATT suggested taping conversations and filming meetings. 
 
8.  (S) Baret said that was possible, but he was going to get 
rid of the people whose names he had received.  He said Luna 
is a harder case, well connected.  DATT encouraged him to 
work with the Secretary of the Armed Forces to make his 
anti-smuggling work effective.  Baret said he was creating 
his own information network, and the Embassy was a great help 
to him.  He said, "We're going to move on this."  NAS 
Director reminded Baret of the seriousness of TIP 
decertification and said the USG would perceive no excuse for 
the DR because of its recent change of government.  Baret 
asked for additional training from DHS, and the Attache 
promised continued support.  The meeting ended with a 
friendly sidebar between Baret and the Ambassador. 
 
UPDATE 
-------- 
 
9.  (S) On November 5, NAS Director learned that Col. Luna 
and others named by the Ambassador had been dismissed the 
previous day.  Later that morning, Armed Forces Secretary 
Sigfrido Pared Perez confirmed to NAS Director that Baret had 
visited him the previous day, and "they had worked together 
to solve some personnel problems."  On November 8, daily 
Diario Libre reported that Immigration had fired 37 officials 
previously assigned to five airports and the ferry terminal. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
10.  (S) In matters relating to corruption, Embassy has high 
confidence in several ranking members of the current 
government.  The jury is still out on Baret, but initial 
impressions are good.  If his performance continues to match 
his words, action may finally be possible against the 
longstanding, Mafia-like smuggling networks whose nefarious 
dealings undermine Dominican border control and threaten U.S. 
homeland security. 
HERTELL