00:00So after the SNAP election, 2023-2024, we saw crime rates drop about 15 percent.
00:05But last year, it was a record for homicides.
00:07Yes.
00:08So how do you reconcile the two? What changed in that time period?
00:12Well, in 2024, for example, 6.5 out of 10 homicides were of people that had a criminal record.
00:23In 2025, it was over 9, 9 over 10.
00:29So most of these homicides were gang-related or narco-terrorism for positions.
00:39We had captured the heads. We had captured the capos.
00:45So the second line or third line were, you know, in local wars,
00:52most of these homicides were people that had criminal records.
00:57So in the past, in Colombia, under Uribe, he went for this democratic strategy.
01:02Shore up towns, shore up roads, make sure they're safe.
01:06And then you have a different approach in El Salvador with Naqib Bukele,
01:11according to the U.S. Treasury Department, where he basically paid off and cut a deal with gang leaders.
01:16Would you consider either of these scenarios, potentially, or strategies going forward?
01:20Our strategy is more similar to Uribe.
01:24People that worked or that were part of Uribe's time have given us advice, have worked with us.
01:34So it's not only, I would say, an iron fist.
01:41It's an iron fist with a heart.
01:43It's an iron fist also with an economic strategy.
01:47It's an iron fist with job generation and job creation.
01:52So it's not the same as Naqib Bukele's plan.
01:57It's more similar to Uribe's plan.
02:00You mentioned the United States is helping you do this.
02:02And last month, U.S. Southern Command talked about these joint military operations.
02:06What was the U.S. role exactly?
02:09The U.S. role was very important.
02:12It helped us identify, because of the technology that the U.S. has,
02:16the locations were most...
02:18Target tracking.
02:20Exactly.
02:20Target tracking and their intelligence helped us.
02:25And most of the operations, I would say all of the operations,
02:29most of the operations were led by our armed forces with the support of the U.S.
02:35It's not an invasion.
02:36It's not an intruder coming to our country.
02:42It's actually international collaboration against crime.
02:45Would you welcome, though, U.S. troops on the ground?
02:49If they're willing to follow the lead of Ecuadorian armed forces, then no problem.
02:57Do you think the U.S. would be willing to do that?
02:58Have you had those conversations?
03:00Yes.
03:00I mean, they're willing to collaborate.
03:02They're willing to collaborate.
03:03It's not follow orders.
03:04It's collaborate.
03:05Last year, in a referendum, though, Ecuadorians pushed back.
03:09They rejected this idea of foreign military bases.
03:11Could you still have U.S. troops on the ground without having this idea of foreign military bases go through
03:17a referendum?
03:18Yes.
03:19We have international agreements, international treaties that allow temporary presence of,
03:28obviously, with the control of our armed forces, but it does allow that.
03:33At the same time, 70 percent of the country is happy that we have a good relationship with the U
03:39.S.
03:40So, sometimes numbers or a referendum can be irrational, in a way.
03:47It sounds like you're open to this and the U.S. is open to this.
03:52Do you think it could happen, maybe this year?
03:54I think it could happen this year.
03:56I think it would be important.
03:57Right now, we've reduced homicide rates by 38 percent in the border.
04:05There's a general sense of peace today in Ecuador.
04:09Our numbers are a lot better.
04:11And we are at a point that we need to continue pushing to eliminate the threat.
04:17Have you spoken to the new secretary for Homeland Security?
04:20Because I know we're very close to Kristi Noem, but now there's a new individual, Mark Wayne Mullen.
04:25Any conversations between your government and him yet?
04:28I haven't talked to him yet.
04:29I've talked to Secretary Hexit and the Department of War and Secretary Rubio,
04:36but I haven't met the new secretary of Homeland Security.
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