[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1032 Engrossed in House (EH)]
H. Res. 1032
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
March 9, 2010.
Whereas Mr. Agustin Roberto ``Bobby'' Salcedo, a United States citizen and
resident of California, was senselessly murdered on December 31, 2009,
at the young age of 33 while vacationing with his family in the city of
Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico;
Whereas Bobby Salcedo was a rising star in the community, had just been elected
to his second term as a member of the El Monte City School Board, and
served as the vice principal and football coach at his alma mater,
Mountain View High School;
Whereas Bobby Salcedo was studying for his doctorate in educational leadership
at the University of California, Los Angeles, after having earned his
bachelor's degree in history from California State University, Long
Beach, and a master's degree in educational administration from
California State University, San Bernardino;
Whereas Bobby Salcedo, the son of immigrant parents, sought to chart a better
course for his entire community, serving as a local leader for such
organizations as the South El Monte/Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
Sister City Organization;
Whereas, on December 31, 2009, Mr. Salcedo was having dinner in Mexico in a
restaurant with family and friends when a group of armed and masked men
burst in and forcibly removed Mr. Salcedo and 5 other men;
Whereas Mr. Salcedo was killed execution-style with a single gunshot to the
head;
Whereas Bobby Salcedo's body, along with the bodies of the 5 other men, was
found several hours later dumped in a field near a canal;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been asked by the Government of
Mexico to assist in investigating the death of Mr. Salcedo;
Whereas innocents are directly impacted by drug-related violence in Mexico;
Whereas the Mexican drug cartels are major producers and suppliers to the United
States market for heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana and the major
transit country for 90 percent of the cocaine sold in the United States;
Whereas the National Drug Intelligence Center, a component of the U.S.
Department of Justice, has identified Mexican drug trafficking
organizations as ``the greatest drug trafficking threat to the United
States'';
Whereas the illegal trafficking of firearms, including from the United States to
Mexico, contributes to drug-related violence, and the United States-
Mexico Joint Statement on the Merida Initiative on October 22, 2007,
stated that the United States will ``continue to combat trafficking of
weapons and bulk currency to Mexico.'';
Whereas the Mexican drug cartels have become increasingly violent, killing at
least 5,600 people in 2008 and more than 7,000 people in 2009;
Whereas the Mexican State of Durango, where Bobby Salcedo's execution took
place, is one of the most violent with more than 700 recorded gang
related killings in 2009;
Whereas the Government of President Felipe Calderon has significantly stepped up
Mexico's efforts to confront the drug cartels and end the violence,
deploying some 45,000 troops and 5,000 police throughout Mexico; and
Whereas the United States Congress has appropriated over $1,300,000,000 under
the Merida Initiative to help Mexico break the power and impunity of the
drug cartels, assist the Government of Mexico in strengthening its
judicial and law enforcement institutions, curtail gang activity in
Mexico, and disrupt demand for and distribution of drugs in the region:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses sorrow at the death of Mr. Agustin Roberto ``Bobby''
Salcedo;
(2) supports continued cooperation between the United States
Government and the Government of Mexico to help identify and convict Mr.
Salcedo's killers;
(3) calls on the Governments of the United States and Mexico to
increase cooperation to prosecute those responsible for the drug-related
killings of innocents in Mexico, be they United States or Mexican
citizens; and
(4) reaffirms its continued support for bilateral cooperation with
Mexico to break the power of the Mexican drug cartels and turn the tide
of violence.
Attest:
Clerk.