[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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