UNCLASSIFIED S. Department of State Case No F-2017- 08348 Doc No 006357323 Date: 09/08/2017 Ct. .A8?18ti?rttm1i?w are: l) Page 1 of .., stunt manna-.33 -. nun-mu. From: SMART Archive Sent: 2/6/2017 9:06:05 AM To: SMART Core Subject: Ethiopia: Initial Impact of Executive Order on Refugees and \?sas SBU 9 MRN: 17 ADDIS ABABA 280 FUL Feb 06, 2017 0614042 FEB 17 From: AM EM BASSY ADDIS ABABA Action: WASH DC, SECSTATE ROUTINE E.O.: 13526 TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV SO YE. KE, SD ET Captions: . SENSITIVE Reference: A) 17 STATE 11004 B) 16 NAIROBI 3734 C) 16 ADDIS ABABA 3762 D) 16 ADDIS ABABA 1176 . E) 16 ADDIS ABABA 3794 Subject: Ethiopia: Initial Impact of Executive Order on Refugees and Visas 1: (SBU) Summary}. iDeSpite the recent Federal District Court order, the Executive Order (E0) on ?Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Activities by Foreign Nationals? has severely affected Embassy Addis Ababa?s refugee foliow-to?join and immigrant visa applicants, along with the broader U. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) Its implementation delayed the planned departure of 48 Somali refugees living Ethiopia The departure of 30 Somali refugee follow- -to-join cases and the processing of 145 ready-to- travel Somali and Sudanese nationals was also delayed Although the E0 does address some areas of real concern in Ethiopia, it has delayed thousands of In- process legitimate travelers and further stretches Post?s limited resources. End Summary. Refugees: Reactions and Concerns 2. (SBU) Before the U. S. Federal Court? 5 order barring the USG from enforcing certain provisions of the E0 on ?Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Activities by Foreign Nationals? (ref A), the 120-day ban for refugee admissions left more than 150 refugees stranded at the Organization for Migration (10M) Transit Center In Addis Ababa Forty -eight Somalis, two Sudanese and 106 Eritreans were scheduled to depart from Addis between January 315? and February Although disappointed, refugees were mainly concerned about losing their approved resettlement status. They expressed apprehension about returning to refugee camps becausemost sold their possession in preparation to travel and assigned shelters would likely now have been reassigned. 3. (SBU) During a second visit to the transit center by Assistant RefCoord on January 30, refugees expressed appreciation of the efforts being madeon their behalf and asked to prioritize those who are more in need, such as urgent medical cases. sta?? and refugees?advocated for a Somali refugee with a heart condition whose CLASSEFECATQGN: Page ?i ?3 UNCLASSIFIED U. S. Department of State Case No. F- 2017- 08348 Doc No. 006357323 Date: 09/08/2017 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. C06357323 Date: 09/08/2017 Page 2 at . family departed the day before the E0 was announced. Refugees also advocated for the travel of an eight year- old boy who has lost 90% ofhis vison to glaucoma. 10M medical staff highlighted the urgency ofthese cases and a lack of adequate care options in Ethiopia. 4. (SBU) Addis Ababa has agreed to keep the stranded refugees at its transit center for the next 2-4 weeks until a more pemianent solution is found. As a contingency, 10M and UNHCR are coordinating the possible reactivation of these'cascs and discussing a reinsertion package to support refugees if they are to retum to camps. is also exploring with the GOE Administration for Refugees and Retumee Affairs (ARRA) the Option of granting urban status to the refugees affected by the E0 measures, which would allow them to stay in Addis, but no ?nal decision has been made. Consular Impact: E0 Ftuther Delays Legitimate Travelers, Vulnerable Populations 5. (SBU) The E0 had an immediate effect on Post?s consular operations. With numerous daily direct ?ights to the United States, Addis Ababa?s Bole lntemational Airport is a major hub for U.S.-bound travelers from Africa and the Middle East.? Within 24 hours, Post received noti?cation of at least 1 travelers that had been denied . entry to the United States and returned to Ethiopia. Following erroneous media reports that Legal Permanent Residents were returned to Ethiopia, Post?s American Citizens Services sta?? immediately conferred with immigration officials to dispel rumors, proVide updated guidance, and ensure that no otherwise-quali?ed travelers were refused legitimate departure to the US. by the airlines 6. (SBU) Following the release, Post cancelled interviews with 60 Somali applicants and informed eight ready-to-travel Somali refugees that their already-printed visas would not allow them entry into the United States. Of those scheduled to travel, more than half had been waiting more than a year to join their family members already settled in the US, including three who had been waiting since 2014. A four-year old who had never met his father and a two-year old granted humanitarian parole were among the travelers. 7. The lZO-day ban outlined in the E0 could further complicate these travelers? tenuous immigration status in Ethiopia. Immigration officials control the ability to travel of refugee follow-to-join applicants (who are not registered refugees), and once issued an exit visa (a requirement for 10M processing and departure) applicants have only 14 days to travel, after which they will be fined $10 per day. The GOE has yet to respond with a plan on how to prevent already-issued travelers fromaccruing heavy immigration ?nes from an overnight change in USG policy. 8. (SBU) Although the delay is undoubtedly devastating for the affected families, these cases are but a small percentage of Post?s larger refugee follow-to-join (V 93) workload. By the end of January 2016, Embassy Addis had on-hand more than 1,300 V93 follow-to-join cases, some of which have been pending since 2011. Much like Embassy Nairobi (Ref B), Embassy Addis is one of the largest and only Posts responsible for processing Somali applicants. 1n FY2016, Post processed immigrant visas for more than 1276 immigrant visas (IVs) for Somali applicants (see Figure 1 below). Figure I Embassy A ddr's A baba 's FY2016 IV Caseload from Countries Banned Under the E0. - Somali Yemeni Sudanese Total V92 (Asylum FTJ) l9 0 20 V93 (Refugee FTJ) 369 0 4 373 Other Immigrant Visa 888' 49 12 949 Total 1276 49 17 1342 9. (SBU) Post?s V93 applicants are perhaps some of the most vulnerable in the world, and longer wait times will undoubtedly mean further hardships for applicants who have waited years on a legal path to migration. Most live without legal authorization for employment or travel. Where possible, they find work in unregulated grey markets. In the 12 months since January 2015, 404 V93 applicants travelled from Addis Ababa to join their families in the United States. Of these, more than half were female and nearly half were children age 16 and Page 2 of 4 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-O8348 Doc No. 006357323 Date: 09/08/2017 UNCLASSIFIED U. S. Department of State Case No F- 2017- 08348 Doc No 006357323 Date. 09/08/2017 A8 Sti?mATii?m: tmt? iASSit?tFi} Page a younger. Consular Impact: E0 Addresses Some Real Concerns in Ethiopia 10. (SBU) The Executive Order also touches upon visa reciprocity, an issue of ongoing concem in the bilateral relationship As reported septel (Refs and D), Post continues to raise concerns about the refusal to honor a 1992 MOU ensuring mutual reciprocity on the USG default issuance of 24-month, multiple entry visas for qualified NIV applicants 1 l. (SBU) As reported in EthiOpia?s Country Fraud Summary (Ref E), Post continues to harbor concerns about the veracity of locally-issued identi?cation documents. Weak local laws, rampant fraud, and diSparate naming conventions complicate a process already encumbered by Julian -to-Georgian calendar conversion. (Comment: Section 4 of the E0 addresses these concerns directly and Post stands ready undertake necessary efforts to ensure the integrity of all visa issuanccs. End Comment.) Consular Impact: Small Visa Processing and Workload Impact 12. (SBU) Prior to the E0, Addis processed approximately 10% of our NW workload via the Visa Interview Waiver program. In FY2016 Post processed 3,250 drop box cases via an interview waiver program (IWP) that allowed renewal for visa which been expired for less than 48 months. Approximately 35%-40% of that workload will no longer be quali?ed for an interview waiver. The provisions of the E0 will result in at least 1,000 additional visa appointments a year. Reactions to the Executive Order 13. (U) The GOE has not yet offered an of?cial reaction to the E0. During the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, outgoing AU Chairman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called the seven- -nation ban ?one of the greatest challenges? for the continent She continued? ?[t]he very country to which many of our people were taken as slaves during the transatlantic slave trade has now decided to ban refugees from some of our countries. 14. (U) A fake news article referencing a ?ctitious section of the Executive Order that places a yearly lOO-visa quota on Ethiopian applicants began circulating on Febnlary 1. The English language story has received signi?cant coverage in local press, and Embassy staff has received numerous formal and informal inquiries regarding possible implications. In response, Post?s Public Affairs Section has posted a link to the Executive Order on Face Book and refuted the fake news article about the yearly 100-visa quota for Ethiopia. 15. (SBU) Comment: Post welcomes PRM diligence in pursuing and receiving an exemption which allowed the travel of 872 refugees who are in transit and whose denial of admission would cause undue hardship. These refugees arrived between January 30 and February 2, but did not include refugees of the seven nationalities covered by the E0. As of February 6, following the court order, IOM is making arrangements for 85 refugees to travel to the United States this week, and plans for an additional 102 refugees to travel next week. Host to the second largest refugee population in Africa, Ethiopia is a key partner on refugee issues. Relieving the country?s over- -burdened support networks is a laudable goal in the direct interest of the USG, particularly as severe drought 1n neighboring Somalia will undoubtedly drive more refugees into the country over the next 12 months. End Comment. Signatu re: VROOMAN Drafted By: ADDIS ABABA: Bedoya Hanson Sandra; Thompson Robert Cleared By: Addie Ababa:Lo, Li Ping Addie Ababa:Cummings. Philip (Addie Ababa) Addie AbabazAbbott, Lucy (Addie Ababa) Page 3 or. a US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. C06357323 Date: 09/08/2017 UNCLASSIFIED U. S. Department of State Case No. F- 2017- 08348 Doc No C06357323 Date: 09/08/2017 4933'. ATKBN: UN ?3 9f 4? Consularzeimbel, John . Moore, David Approved By: Addis Ababa2Vrooman, Peter Released By: ADDIS ABABA:Cummings, Philip (Addis Ababa) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC NAIROBI, AMEMBASSY DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC REFUGEE COORDINATOR COLLECTIVE ROUTINE Dissemination Rule: Archive Copy UNCLASSIHED SBU Page 4 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. 006357323 Date: 09/08/2017 UNCLASSIFIED State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. C06357324 Date: 09/08/2017 iiNtlt?S?iFiEi} Fags 4. of ?3 From: SMART Archive Sent: 3/9/2017 7:59:13 AM To: SMART Core Subject: Ethiopia: U.S. Refugee Admissions After-the Executive Orders SBU MRN: 17 ABABA 516 Date/0T6: Mar 09. 2017 I 0912562 MAR 17 From: AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA Action: WASHDC. SECSTATE Rourws 6.0.: 13526 TAGS: PREF. PREL. PGOV. PHUM, UNHCR, SOCI. 80. SD. ET Captions: SENSITIVE Referencez? . A) 17 ADDIS ABABA 280 B) Subject: Ethiopia: U.S. Refugee Admissions After the Executive Orders I. (SBU) Summary: The revised version of the March 6 US. Executive Order (E.O.) and the 120-day ban on refugee travel to the US. for resettlement will affect individual refugees in EthiOpia who have fled persecution and con?ict and are identi?ed as needing resettlement to address threats to their health and personal safety. During a February 22-24 visit to Addis Ababa, Nairobi-based Admissions Refugee Coordinator met with urban Semali refugees in Addis Ababa, whose resettlement to the United States was cast in doubt after the President?s January 27 Executive Order (E.O.). Although subsequent rulings by US. federal courts allowed the travel of 156 refugees whose departure to the US. was delayed by the initial lZO-day ban, UN High Commission for Refugees (UN HCR) of?cials in Addis Ababa observed that if refugees in Ethiopia believe that the United States will no longer consider them for resettlement, they could migrate onward to third countries or retum to areas of Somalia that are still dangerous. End Summary. Impact of Immigration Executive Orders on Refugees in Ethiopia Slated for Resettlement 2. (SBU) Ethiopia hosts just over 800,000 refugees who have ?ed con?ict-and persecution in Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and other repressive and war-tom countries in the region. After ?eeing threats from violent extremists in Somalia, and civil war and persecution in Sudan, many of these refugees suffer from disabilities and other vulnerabilities LGBTI status) that make staying in refugee camps untenable. Only a small number of refugees in Ethiopia are ever resettled to a third country; in ?scal year 2016, 3,453 refugees from Ethiopia, or 0.46% of the total in the camps, arrived in the United States. According to UNI-ICR, 99.8% of resettlement cases out of Ethiopia are sent to the United Stales'and they estimate that 60% of the more than 50,000 refugees in Ethiopia who are in need of resettlement are Somali or Sudanese nationals. 3. (SBU) The 120-day ban on refugee resettlement under the January 27 E0. blocked the travel of 48 Somalis, 2 Sudanese, and 106 Eritrean refugees who were scheduled to depart between January 31 and February 6. These ,156 refugees were stranded at the International Organization for Migration (10M) Transit Center in Addis Ababa . waiting for their pre-departure medical exams at the time of the signing of the 130. (Ref A). In the weeks {it??CLASSit?iEi} page "i 3 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. C06357324 Date: 09/08/2017 UNCLASSIFIED S. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. C06357324 Date: 09/08/2017 (It. assassin 1321:0113: 4' Page a e? .1 following the Ninth Circuit Court?s injunction, they have been admitted to the United States, as have most refugees who had been at other transit centers in Africa (Ref B). Somali Refugees Deal with Uncertaing on Toprof Vulnerabilitv 4. (SBU) During a February 22-24 visit to Addis Ababa, Nairobi-based Admissions Refugee Coordinator (Refcoord) and the Addis Ababa Assistant Refugee Coordinator attended a town hall meeting organized by IOM and UNHCR to meet urban Somali refugees who likely would have had ?nn dates for arrival in the United States had the Executive Orders not reduced the annual ceiling 011 refugee admissions, thus dramatically slowing the pace of admissions from Ethiopia. (Note: Upon the effective date of the March 6 BO, approximately 14,000 refugees will have been admitted to the United States, against a likely new annual ceiling of 16,000, down from the original target of 35,000 announced 011 September 28, 2016 During the 120- day pause, only families with extreme medical or physical protection needs will be presented for consideration, on a case- b-y? c?ase basis, with perhapsjust a couple more families 111 Ethiopia qualifying later this month End Note] 5 (SBU) Twenty refugees attended the town hall session and described their situation A father with a child explained that an apartment had already been rented for him by his brother in the United States in anticipation of his arrival, leaving his brother with no more money to wire to Ethiopia to support his refugee relatives A mother of nine said she had used all her money to buy winter clothing for the trip to the United States. The mother also mentioned that her oldest daughter had tfied to commit suicide after their family was told their travel was postponed indefinitely. A girl in elementary school said she had ?ed Somalia. with her remaining family after al- Shabaab killed her father, and she dreamed of studying in the United States. An IOM of?cial told RefCoords that many of the refugees not in attendance had similar stories. The refugees were clearly emotionally distressed. IOM and UNHCR have since assigned a permanent staff counselor to help refugees cepc while their resettlement cases are delayed. UNHCR Looks to Preserve Core Capacity, Demonstrate Security 6. (SBU) UNHCR resettlement of?cers told RefCoords that an increasing number of refugees were considering departing Ethiopia 011 dangerous secondary migration routes to Europe if it appeared that resettlement was not a realistic option in the next couple of years. While local UNHCR staff recognized that the lower U.S. admissions target would mean there was a need for fewer resettlement of?cers, they argued that maintaining at least a minimum UNHCR resettlement presence in the camps would give refugees some measure of hope, thereby reducing uncontrolled onward migration towards Europe, or returns to still unstable and dangerous areas in Somalia. A UNHCR officer noted that UNHCR has 26 resettlement-related positions (24 nationals and 2 internationals) supported by funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. 7. (SBU) UNHCR Assistant Representative for Protection Mamadou Dian Balde emphasized the care the refugee agency takes when selecting and interviewing refugees for referral to the United States for resettlement. He said he welcomed any opportunity to demonstrate the thoroughness of the process to S. of?cials, and promised UNHCR openness to any further suggestions to make sure S. of?cials and the public understand that refugees admitted to the United States do not pose a security threat. In a February 23 meeting, UNHCR Country Representative Clementine Nkweta- Salami said her team would manage refugee expectations as best as possible once US. policy became clearer. UNHCR staff offered full cooperation on any initiatives to make sure a robust resettlement program continues. ARRA Says US. Leadership at Stake 8 (SBU) 111 a February 23 meeting, the Deputy Director of Ethiopia?s Administration for Refugee and Retumee Affairs (ARRA) expressed concern that the Executive Order created the perception that the United States 15 limiting its humanitarian support, and that this would affect America? 5 image abroad The senior EthiOpian official argued passionately 111 support of the S. Refugee Admissions Program He argued that continuing admissions without on nationality would demonstrate the United States? leadership on refugees 1n Ethiopia, the second largest country of asylum in Africa (Note: ARRA leads Ethiopia?s implementation of UNCLASSERED Page 2 3 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-08348 Doc No. 006357324 Date: 09/08/2017 @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@