[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2274-S2275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 73--HONORING THE LIFE OF ENRIQUE ``KIKI'' CAMARENA
Mr. BIDEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 73
Whereas Enrique ``Kiki'' Camarena, a Special Agent of the
Drug Enforcement Administration for 11 years, was abducted
and brutally murdered by drug barons in 1985;
Whereas Enrique Camarena dedicated his life to serving the
law enforcement community and the Nation as a whole and was
the devoted husband of Geneva Alvarado and loving father of
Enrique, Daniel, and Eric;
Whereas Enrique Camarena received 2 Sustained Superior
Performance Awards and a Special Achievement Award while
serving the Drug Enforcement Administration;
Whereas Enrique Camarena's dedication to reducing the
scourge of drugs eventually cost him his life;
Whereas ``Camarena Clubs'' to combat drug abuse have been
created in high schools across the Nation to honor his
memory;
Whereas Enrique Camarena is honored each year during
National Red Ribbon Week; and
Whereas the 20th Anniversary of Enrique Camarena's death
will be specially honored on March 9, 2005, at the Drug
Enforcement Administration headquarters: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) mourns the loss of Enrique ``Kiki'' Camarena;
(2) recognizes the contributions of Enrique Camarena to our
National efforts to combat drug abuse;
(3) admires the courage and dedication of Enrique Camarena
in his work as a Special Agent of the Drug Enforcement
Administration;
(4) expresses gratitude for the legacy left by Enrique
Camarena; and
(5) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an
enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Enrique
Camarena.
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution to
commemorate the outstanding life and tragic but courageous death of
Enrique ``Kiki'' Camarena, a Special Agent of the Drug Enforcement
Administration.
Enrique grew from a boy in the small town of Mexicali in Baja
California, Mexico to a man as a United States Marine. During his two
year tour as a Legal Clerk with the Marine Corps in San Diego, Enrique
received the National Defense Service Medal. It was during this time
that Enrique first demonstrated his dedication to the United States.
Following his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in 1970,
Enrique demonstrated his courage as a fireman for the City of Calexico
while demonstrating his intelligence as a student at Imperial Valley
College, where he earned an Associates degree in 1972. It was also in
1970 that Enrique Camarena first showed his interest in law enforcement
by joining the Calexico, CA Police Department. In May 1973, he began
what would be his life-long fight against drug abuse when he was
assigned to El Centro, CA, where he served for 13 months as a Narcotics
Investigator for Imperial County.
Those 13 months as a Narcotics Investigator proved to be a life-
altering time for Enrique. In June 1974, he took his determination to
dismantle drug organizations to the Federal level, as a Special Agent
of the Drug Enforcement Administration. During his time with DEA,
Special Agent Camarena returned to his hometown in California for
several years prior to his assignment in Guadalajara, Mexico, which
began in July 1981.
During his 11 years with DEA, Special Agent Enrique Camarena received
two Sustained Superior Performance Awards and a Special Achievement
Award. Each award recognized Enrique's dedication to the fight against
drug abuse and determination to scourge our country of illegal drugs.
His frustration with the drug trade was perhaps most evident by a
statement that would later prove to be prophetic: He asked, ``What's
gonna have to happen? Does somebody have to die before anything is
done? Is somebody going to have to get killed?''
On Thursday, February 7, 1985, at 2:00 p.m., Special Agent Camarena
left the American Consulate in Guadalajara to meet his wife for lunch.
Having come dangerously close to unlocking a multi-billion drug
pipeline, Enrique was awaiting a reassignment, which was just three
weeks away. Enrique never met his wife for lunch that day and he never
received his reassignment.
As he neared his truck that afternoon, five men approached him and
shoved him into a car. By February 10, DEA Administrator Francis
``Bud'' Mullen had flown to Guadalajara and to help begin the search
for Enrique.
On March 5, Enrique's body was found on a ranch outside of the town
of Zamora, Mexico, approximately 60 miles outside of Guadalajara.
Autopsy reports indicated that Special Agent Camarena had been tortured
and beaten. Three days after his body was discovered, twenty years ago
today, he was returned to the United States for burial.
Following the death of Special Agent Enrique Camarena and the press
attention that the killing generated, ``Camarena Clubs'' started
throughout the El Cajon, CA area. These ``Camarena Clubs'' were formed
to create a united front against drug abuse among students, teachers
and others in the community.
The summer of 1985 saw a surge in national interest in Enrique's
memory and the problems of drug abuse. The Virginia Federation of
Parents and the Illinois Drug Education Alliance called on every
American to wear red ribbons to symbolize their commitment to help
reduce the demand for drugs in their communities. Since then, the Red
Ribbon campaign has taken on national significance.
Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually in cities across the country.
The DEA and many other drug abuse prevention organizations around
America help to sponsor this annual event. In Delaware, the Substance
Abuse Awareness Committee sponsors Red Ribbon Week each October to take
a visible stand against drugs through the symbol of the Red Ribbon.
Special Agent Enrique Camarena was a devoted husband to Geneva
``Mika'' Alvarado and a loving father to three sons, Enrique, Daniel
and Eric. Today, I ask that the United States Senate formally recognize
the life and death of Kiki, as his family lovingly calls him, to place
official emphasis on the impact he made on America.
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