US embassy cable - 05QUITO558

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 QUITO 000558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DHS FOR DHS/HQIAO 
HQ ICE DRO WASHINGTON DC 
GUAYAQUIL FOR DHS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO ICE/SAIC BOSTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, AMGT 
SUBJECT: DHS ESCORTED REMOVAL #312 
 
ZUNA, CARLOS ANTONIO A#097 438 898 
 
1. Post welcomes and grants Country Clearance to Robert 
Margist, Security Clearance: Confidential, and Scott 
Mechkowski, Security Clearance: Confidential, to Quito, 
Ecuador from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2005 as Escort 
Removal Officers. Hotel reservations have been made HQ ICE 
DROS. Cost of rooms is in the per diem rate plus 22 percent 
tax. POC in Quito is DHS Foreign Operations Regional Attach 
(A) Hector Colon at 011-593-22-562890 Ext: 4272 or cellular 
011-593-822-0118. If your arrival is during working hours, 
Post will arrange transportation, if it is after working 
hours, your POC will request the hotel to pick you up from 
the airport.  Please read the following paragraphs 
carefully. 
 
2. Effective June 1, 2004, all personnel transferring to an 
overseas location under COM authority must complete 
appropriate overseas personal security training to travel. 
 
Effective January 1, 2005, this same requirement will also 
apply to American personnel requesting country clearance to 
perform extended temporarily duty (TDY, defined as more that 
30 days) at an overseas location. 
 
It is the responsibility of the sponsoring office to verify 
that this training has been completed. 
 
3. All passengers, U.S. and third country nationals, who 
enter Ecuador on official travel require a visa. There is an 
airport departure fee of USD 25.00 for departing passengers 
using international flights.  DOD personnel participating in 
GOE-approved deployments and exercises, and arriving with 
military orders, are exempt from the visa requirement and 
may travel on military orders. 
 
4. Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, must 
bring/forward fiscal data to pay for direct costs of the 
visit. Each agency, organization, or visiting delegation 
will be charged for the actual costs attributed to their 
visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not limited to: 
American and LES staff overtime (e.g., expediter, 
accommodation exchange, representation event support), field 
travel-lodging and M&IE by Embassy employees, vehicle 
rentals, long distance telephone calls, equipment rentals, 
office supplies and all other costs that are directly 
attributable to the visit. Also, for TDYERS over thirty (30) 
days, there is a charge for ICASS support services. If your 
sponsoring agency is not signed up for ICASS services at 
post, please be prepared to sing a MOU for ICASS support 
services upon arrival. The agency should provide post with a 
written communication, generated by the traveler's 
headquarters that confirms the agency will pay ICASS charges 
for the TDYers, provides the agency ICASS billing code the 
TDY support charges should be applied to, and authorizes the 
traveler to sing the ICASS invoice generated by the TDY 
module. Where travel is urgent, the TDYers should bring this 
documentation with them to ensure there are no interruptions 
in the provision of services. Post will not provide any 
service to a TDYer staying in excess of thirty days without 
provision of this documentation before day 31 of the TDY. 
 
5. The State Department has designated Quito and Guayaquil 
as critical for criminal threat.  Usually, crimes are of a 
non-violent nature such as pick pocketing, burglary of 
personal effects, and thefts from vehicles.  However, 
violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and car- 
jacking are increasing throughout Ecuador, especially in the 
urban areas.  Sexual assault cases against visitors in beach 
resort areas have occurred with regularity and none of the 
beaches are considered safe to walk on at night. 
 
6. In Quito, extreme caution should be taken in tourist 
areas, transit points and crowded marketplaces, especially 
on the crowded streets of south Quito, buses and trolleys, 
the Panecillo (a city overlook point) and all transportation 
terminals.  For Guayaquil, caution should be taken when in 
the downtown section of the city, with extra caution taken 
while in the Malecon 2000 river front district, the docks 
and airport areas.  There have been many reports of luggage 
theft at the airport. 
 
7. To avoid being the victim of a crime, visitors should 
remain alert to their surroundings and maintain constant 
control of purses, backpacks, briefcases and luggage.  Extra 
care should be taken with belongings if traveling on buses 
or trolleys.  Do not place bags or backpacks under your seat 
especially if they contain documents or money.  The use of 
some type of document pouch worn inside of clothing is 
recommended.  Expensive-appearing jewelry and watches should 
not be worn.  Poor road condition, free ranging animals, 
unsafe vehicles and drivers dictate against night travel 
outside urban areas. 
 
8. Official visitors intending to travel into the Northern 
border provinces are required to seek permission through the 
RSO and DCM seven days prior to planned travel. A formal 
process is established for this request. 
 
9. Travelers to the capital city of Quito may require some 
time to adjust to the altitude (9,300 feet), which can 
adversely affect blood pressure, digestion, sleep and energy 
level.  Most people, even those who are healthy and fit, 
feel some symptoms of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) upon arrival 
in Quito.  Persons with medical conditions related to the 
circulatory or respiratory systems, (high blood pressure, 
history of coronary heart disease, emphysema, for example), 
and anyone with sickle cell anemia, should ask their 
physician if travel to Quito or other high-altitude 
locations is advisable.  U.S. government employees who do 
not have a class I medical clearance are requested to check 
with M/MED before planning travel to Quito.  Diamox, a 
medication commonly prescribed to aid with acclimatization, 
is not generally required for travel to Quito.  However, it 
is advisable to limit physical activity and drink plenty of 
nonalcoholic beverages for the first two to three days after 
arriving in Quito. 
 
Individuals with sickle cell trait should carefully consider 
the altitude of Quito before commencing with travel. Short 
term (TDY) assignments carry an added risk because of the 
lack of time for acclimatization. Dehydration and stress 
from exercise or illness compound the basic risks of high 
altitude. For more information, contact your health unit or 
the medical, clearances section of the Offices of Medical 
Services. 
 
10. Visitors receiving country clearance should be aware 
that all interview requests, be they for backgrounding or on- 
the-record statements, for USG officials are vetted through 
PAS in Quito. For visiting FSNs, please be advised that only 
requests for backgrounding or off-the-record context-setting 
will be considered and that these requests must also be 
vetted through PAS/Quito. If a journalist approaches you for 
a statement/interview/reaction, please contact IO Glenn 
Warren at (02) 250-2053, cell: 099-823-323 or Press 
Specialist Renata Baragan at (02) 250-2053. 
 
KENNEY