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Show The Salt Lake Tribune Converging Crises Creating Unprecedented Ecuadorean Exodus @ From previous page networks. Sincethe1980s. natives of Azuayand Canar provinces have migrated to theUnited States, bringing those rural areas million-dollar remittanceflowsev eryyear, WORLD U.S. officials estimatethat1,500 to. 2,000 Ecuadoreans a Their primary targets are maritime drug runners, fellow Ecuadoreans. “That's what happens when you don’t ha’ y Support at home, when your countryis. full of misery.” After losing a low-paying job at a pharmacy, Romero, 36, set out for Barcelona, Spain. That country has becomea hot destination, drawing 200 Ecuadoreans a day, according to the high-ranking Ecuadorean law- giving them the power to stop suspicious vessels, enforcementofficial. Ecuadoreantourists don’t need a month go north in boats that often carry 150 to 200 passengers each Because of the Ecuadorean navy’s woeful lack of resources, policing falls mainly to U.S. Coast Guard and Navyvessels on anti-drug patrols in the region. which theyturn overto the Ecuadoreannavy. Authorities here routinely release smugglers and higher than in Ecuador. bring a crackdow!n. Some boats havebeen intercepted morethan onc ordingto U.S. officials. economiccrisis, according to Adrian Bonilla, deputy ‘The smugglers’ destination generallyis Guatemala. Accomplices then transport immigrants,to the U.S.- forcement have madeEcv basefor international mafias that move Asian ab immigrants to the United States using an ofroutes, methods and corrupt government 4 plices. Immigrant smuggling is not a crime here; Ecuador's Congress began consideringan anti-smuggling law last month Smugglingfees have jumpedto $12,000 per migrant, Mexicoborder. In thepast three years, fast-rising ar- Mexican border-crossers, who usually pay smugglers between $500 and $1.000, and twoor three times more than for Central Americans. “The smugglers are the biggest millionaires in Azuay id Alexis Ponce, a human-rights activ ‘The emigrants turn over entire farms to them to paj for the trip.” The volumeandsophistication of seagoing smuggling here rival Chinese and Caribbeanoperations. Dan's visa to enter Spain, which offers a familiar language and culture, plus salaries that are five to eight times migrants and return capturedboats to the owners, although the newanti-smuggling law, if passed, may Moreover. a strategic location and weak law en- according to a high-ranking Ecuadorean —lawenforcementofficial. Thatis far morethantherate for All Sunday, August 6, 2000 s of Ecuadoreans by the U.S. Border Patrol have outpaceddetentions of other South Americans. The exodus will continue because of the profound director of the Latin American Faculty-of Secial-Sci- ences.“Wearein for a depressionofatleast three more Bonillasaid. spite the “humanitarian tragedy,” Bonilla sees positi ¢ aspects. A returning flow of money and emigrants has shaken up the rigid elites who are partly responsible for Ecuador’s multiple woes, especiallyin the provinces, hesaid. Restless expatriates bring back modern political and social attitudes as well as Budweiser beer and “techno” music. “It’s not just that they generate money.” Bonilla said, “they democratize and openuplocal societies.” Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion puts the issue in historical perspective, noting that Spain, for example, once exported immigrants to Latin America “Manynations have gone through this kind of experience; Carrion said. “Other nations should keep this in mind andtake a wider view. . . . But the solution is here. We mustwork to overcomeour crisis. And we must convince our people to stay home.” Ecuadoreans also stow away on commercial ships. apply for visas with high-quality fake documents and tryto slip past authorities in the Miami and Houston airports after arriving as transit passengers with tickets for Europe. Emigrants leaving the country have a much more dramatic impact ontheir homelandthantheir arrival does onthe UnitedStates. Menonce dominated the exodus, but the numberof urban female immigrants has shot up because of the allure of domestic jobs in southern Europe. “T was willingto leave my 11-year-old daughter with her grandmotherand see} said Jacque. line Romeroof coastal Gi quil..w ho Was sent horhe by French authorities i pri] with a planeload of sisi’ > Newest Medical aa) Treatment of herniated and degenerative discs Yoava ENN IHC, FHP/Pacificare, Mailhandiers, Blue Cross Blue Shield approved providers. Plus many other types of insurance. 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