[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 50 (Tuesday, May 2, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H1944-H1948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONVEYING SYMPATHY OF CONGRESS TO FAMILIES OF YOUNG WOMEN MURDERED IN 
                           CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 90) conveying the sympathy 
of Congress to the families of the young women murdered in the State of 
Chihuahua, Mexico, and encouraging increased United States involvement 
in bringing an end to these crimes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 90

       Whereas the Mexican cities of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua 
     have been plagued with the abduction, sexual assault, and 
     brutal murders of over 400 young women since 1993;
       Whereas there have been at least 56 murders of women in 
     Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua since 2004;
       Whereas at least 152 of the victims were sexually assaulted 
     prior to their murders;
       Whereas more than half of the victims are women and girls 
     between the ages of 13 and 22, and many were abducted in 
     broad daylight in well-populated areas;
       Whereas these murders have brought pain to the families and 
     friends of the victims on both sides of the border as they 
     struggle to cope with the loss of their loved ones;
       Whereas many of the victims have yet to be positively 
     identified;
       Whereas the perpetrators of most of these heinous acts 
     remain unknown;
       Whereas the Mexican Federal Government has taken steps to 
     prevent these abductions and murders in Ciudad Juarez, 
     including setting up a commission to coordinate Federal and 
     State efforts, establishing a 40-point plan, appointing a 
     special commissioner, and appointing a special prosecutor;
       Whereas the Mexican Federal special prosecutor's review of 
     the Ciudad Juarez murder investigations found evidence that 
     over 100 police, prosecutors, forensics experts, and other 
     State of Chihuahua justice officials failed to properly 
     investigate the crimes, and recommended that they be held 
     accountable for their acts of negligence, abuse of authority, 
     and omission;
       Whereas the Government of Mexico has recognized the 
     importance of the work of the Mexican Federal special 
     prosecutor and has shifted the mission of the prosecutor's 
     office to assist local authorities in investigating and 
     prosecuting crimes of violence against women throughout the 
     country;
       Whereas in 2003 the El Paso Field Office of the Federal 
     Bureau of Investigation and the El Paso Police Department 
     began providing Mexican Federal, State, and municipal law 
     enforcement authorities with training in investigation 
     techniques and methods;
       Whereas the United States Agency for International 
     Development has begun providing assistance to the State of 
     Chihuahua for judicial reform;
       Whereas the government of the State of Chihuahua has 
     jurisdiction over these crimes;
       Whereas the Governor and Attorney General of the State of 
     Chihuahua have expressed willingness to collaborate with the 
     Mexican Federal Government and United States officials in 
     addressing these crimes;
       Whereas the Department of State has provided consular 
     services on behalf of the American citizen and her husband 
     who were tortured into confessing to one of the murders;
       Whereas Mexico is a party to the following international 
     treaties and declarations that relate to abductions and 
     murders: the Charter of the Organization of American States, 
     the American Convention on Human Rights, the Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on 
     Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on 
     Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the 
     Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the 
     United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women, the 
     Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention of 
     Belem do Para, the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and 
     Punish Torture, the Inter-American Convention on Forced 
     Disappearance, and the United Nations Declaration on the 
     Protection of All Persons From Enforced Disappearance; and
       Whereas continuing impunity for these crimes is a threat to 
     the rule of law in Mexico: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of young 
     women in Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua in the State 
     of Chihuahua, Mexico, since 1993;
       (2) expresses its sincerest condolences and deepest 
     sympathy to the families of the victims of these murders;
       (3) recognizes the courageous struggle of the victims' 
     families in seeking justice for the victims;
       (4) urges the President and Secretary of State to 
     incorporate the investigative and preventative efforts of the 
     Mexican Government in the bilateral agenda between the 
     Governments of Mexico and the United States and to continue 
     to express concern over these abductions and murders to the 
     Government of Mexico;
       (5) urges the President and Secretary of State to continue 
     to express support for the efforts of the victims' families 
     to seek justice for the victims, to express concern relating 
     to the continued harassment of these families and the human 
     rights defenders with whom they work, and to express concern 
     with respect to impediments in the ability of the families to 
     receive prompt and accurate information in their cases;
       (6) supports ongoing efforts to identify unknown victims 
     through forensic analysis, including DNA testing, conducted 
     by independent, impartial experts who are sensitive to the 
     special needs and concerns of the victims' families, as well 
     as efforts to make these services available to any families 
     who have doubts about the results of prior forensic testing;
       (7) condemns the use of torture as a means of investigation 
     into these crimes;
       (8) encourages the Secretary of State to continue to 
     include in the annual Country Report on Human Rights of the 
     Department of State all instances of improper investigatory 
     methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use 
     of torture with respect to cases involving the murder and 
     abduction of young women in the State of Chihuahua;
       (9) encourages the Secretary of State to urge the 
     Government of Mexico and the State of Chihuahua to review the 
     cases of murdered women in which those accused or convicted 
     of murder have credibly alleged they were tortured or forced 
     by a state agent to confess to the crime;
       (10) strongly recommends that the United States Ambassador 
     to Mexico visit Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua for 
     the purpose of meeting with the families of the victims, 
     womena=TMs rights organizations, and Mexican 
     Federal and State officials responsible for investigating 
     these crimes and preventing future such crimes;
       (11) encourages the Secretary of State to urge the 
     Government of Mexico to ensure fair and proper judicial 
     proceedings for the individuals who are accused of these 
     abductions and murders and to impose appropriate punishment 
     for those individuals subsequently determined to be guilty of 
     such crimes;
       (12) encourages the Secretary of State to urge the State of 
     Chihuahua to hold accountable those law enforcement officials 
     whose failure to adequately investigate the murders, whether 
     through negligence, omission, or abuse, has led to impunity 
     for these crimes;
       (13) encourages the Secretary of State to urge the 
     Government of Mexico to ensure that the Mexican Federal 
     special prosecutor's office, responsible for assisting local 
     authorities in investigating and prosecuting crimes of 
     violence against women throughout the country, gives 
     particular attention to the murders of women in Ciudad Juarez 
     and Chihuahua City;
       (14) strongly supports the work of the special commissioner 
     to prevent violence against women in Ciudad Juarez and 
     Chihuahua City;
       (15) condemns all senseless acts of violence in all parts 
     of the world and, in particular, violence against women; and
       (16) expresses the solidarity of the people of the United 
     States with the people of Mexico in the face of these tragic 
     and senseless acts.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lantos) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 
90, introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis).
  The resolution before us respectfully conveys to the families of more 
than 400 young women who have been murdered in the State of Chihuahua, 
Mexico, the deepest sympathy of the

[[Page H1945]]

United States Congress. It also encourages law enforcement in the 
United States to seek closer cooperation with Mexican law enforcement 
authorities to solve these crimes and bring the perpetrators to 
justice.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. Speaker, the border with Mexico can be a violent place. With drug 
traffickers, migrant smugglers, and other violent malefactors operating 
along the border, young women who live and work in the many border 
communities often fall prey to these violent criminals.
  Over the past 12 years, more than 400 murders and disappearances of 
women have been committed in the cities of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua 
City. Fifty-five women have been killed in Juarez and Chihuahua City 
since 2004 alone. Unfortunately, very few of these cases have been 
resolved and even fewer perpetrators of this violence have been caught 
and prosecuted. As a result, the violence continues.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 90 will hopefully bring 
much-needed attention to the brutal torture, rapes, and murders 
committed against women along the U.S.-Mexican border, especially in 
the State of Chihuahua, and will underscore the need for more 
cooperative law enforcement in both the United States and Mexico.
  Before this resolution was introduced and brought to the floor, too 
little attention was paid to this important issue. Today, Congress is 
taking a stand and urging both the United States and Mexico to ensure 
its people, wherever they may live and work, that they will be secure 
within their homes and workplaces and that they can live without the 
fear of violence which is now sweeping our border communities.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that we in Congress continue to 
encourage our governments to work with Mexico not only to protect the 
women in Juarez but also to thoroughly investigate these crimes and 
bring an end to these murders. House Concurrent Resolution 90 would 
serve as a call to action along the border and would be a constant 
reminder to both the United States and Mexico that we must do more to 
protect our citizens against criminal elements and cooperate more on 
bringing criminals to justice. I urge my colleagues to support this 
important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
and yield myself such time as I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House introduced by my 
distinguished California colleague and good friend, Congresswoman Hilda 
Solis, shines the spotlight on the murders of impoverished young women 
in Mexico. I applaud my friend and colleague, Chairman Hyde, for 
recognizing the importance of this resolution and facilitating its 
consideration both by our committee and the full House.
  Mr. Speaker, since 1993, over 400 gruesome killings have plagued 
Mexico's nearly lawless northern border. In the last 2 years alone, 
over 56 women in this region have had their lives brutally 
extinguished.
  Although these statistics are shocking at face value, the numbers 
often hide due to time and distance the very human stories that bleed 
from the pages of crime reports. In the Ciudad Juarez murders, the 
tragic tales are about girls and young women in the prime of their 
lives who, as they are walking home from one of the many sweatshops 
along the border, are kidnapped, raped, and brutally murdered. Their 
bodies are then unceremoniously dumped at the fringes of town. Families 
are left wondering what happened to their daughters or sisters or 
mothers.
  As a result of the combined efforts of honorable individuals like my 
good friends and colleagues, Congresswoman Solis and Congressman Reyes, 
as well as organizations such as the Washington Office on Latin America 
and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination 
Against Women, the Mexican government of President Fox finally took 
action. Among President Fox's initiatives were the establishment of a 
commission to coordinate federal and state efforts in Mexico, the 
appointment of a special prosecutor to review and bring related cases, 
and a plan to prevent future crimes.
  It is not yet clear, Mr. Speaker, that these efforts have slowed the 
pace by which girls and women are being murdered in Ciudad Juarez or in 
Chihuahua City. Credible reports indicate that at least as many murders 
have been committed each year since the Mexican federal and state 
authorities began implementing their new policies.
  It is also not apparent that local authorities are seriously 
committed to investigating and bringing to justice the criminals who 
are behind the murders. Suspects have been arrested for only about half 
of the Ciudad Juarez murders. In a significant number of cases, the 
defendants claimed that they were tortured into confessing their guilt. 
Real, impartial, professional investigations and prosecutions are 
needed to take the killers off the streets and to bring closure to the 
victims' families.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us today takes steps to address 
these remaining problems. It encourages the administration to include 
the Ciudad Juarez murders as part of the bilateral agenda between our 
government and the government of Mexico. It supports ongoing efforts to 
identify unknown victims through forensic analysis, including DNA 
testing, and it urges the Mexican authorities to invest in a new sense 
of urgency and professionalism as part of their continuing work.
  These killings, Mr. Speaker, must stop. I urge all of my colleagues 
to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my friend, 
Congressman Engel of New York, the ranking member of the Western 
Hemisphere Subcommittee.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California for 
yielding to me; and as both a co-sponsor of this resolution and as 
ranking member of the House International Relations Subcommittee for 
the Western Hemisphere, I rise in strong support of this important 
resolution.
  I want to thank and commend my colleague, Congresswoman Solis, for 
her leadership in raising attention to the dire problem in Ciudad 
Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico. I also want to thank my friend, 
Congressman Reyes, for highlighting this important issue as well.
  In a congressional hearing last week, Mr. Speaker, on U.S.-Mexico 
relations, I directly called on senior U.S. Department of State 
officials to continue to press Mexican authorities on the approximately 
400 women who had been brutally murdered in the Mexican cities of 
Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua since 1993 and to provide U.S. assistance; 
and I remain deeply concerned over the killings of these young women. 
It is time that a serious effort was made to solve these terrible 
murders that are plaguing the towns in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, and 
I hope that the U.S. State Department will take appropriate action to 
help Mexico address these heinous crimes, not only the crimes that have 
been committed but obviously we want to prevent any further crimes from 
being committed.
  I continue to urge the American government to work with Mexican 
authorities to halt this brutal violence against Mexican women and to 
investigate these horrible crimes. How can we just sit by as hundreds 
of women are killed and sexually assaulted just across the Texas 
border? I condemn the ongoing abductions and murders of women in Ciudad 
Juarez and Chihuahua City and express my heartfelt condolences to the 
victims' families. We will continue to press this issue until it is 
resolved.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 5 minutes to my good 
friend, the distinguished author of the resolution and co-chair of the 
Congressional Women's Caucus, Ms. Hilda Solis of California.
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my great thanks and honor to 
Congressman Lantos and Congressman Engel and also to Congresswoman 
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for her support.
  Mr. Speaker, we are strongly in support of this resolution to support 
the families of women who have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez and in 
the city of Chihuahua in Mexico. I have always believed that attacks on 
women are attacks on women everywhere.

[[Page H1946]]

  This came to my attention some 4 years ago, and I was very proud to 
help lead a delegation for the first time, a House delegation to Ciudad 
Juarez, which is 5 minutes from our border, our frontier there. And 
what I found was a horrific, horrific problem, brutal murders of women, 
as was already stated by our colleagues. And to hear that over the past 
13 years this had been allowed to continue without any involvement on 
the part of our government and Mexico, I felt compelled as a woman, as 
a Latina, as someone who felt very strongly that, if we are going to 
stand up for women's rights in other continents of the world and the 
Middle East to defend the Afghani women who are being tortured by the 
Taliban, why not then also come forward and support the women of 
Ciudad, Juarez?
  We know that there are well over 400 victims that have been brutally 
murdered; and recently just this past year we found that a young girl, 
7 years old, was kidnapped, raped, and brutally murdered. Another girl 
just 10 years was raped, killed, and set on fire in her home. These 
children were taken away from us too soon, and the anguished families 
will never be the same.
  When I took a delegation to Ciudad Juarez, we had the opportunity, 
along with other members of the House, to meet with the families, to 
meet with the mothers of the victims, and what they asked for was 
nothing more than respect and acknowledgement and hopefully the force 
of our offices to get both sides, the Mexican government as well as the 
U.S. government, to come to an agreement to recognize that these 
atrocities must stop, to recognize the valor and respect of these 
families, and help to provide some closure; and through this resolution 
I hope that we can begin to do that.
  This poster here illustrates an area that we actually visited very 
close to a grave site where eight bodies were thrown. It was almost as 
though there was a message being sent to authorities in Mexico that 
this is how we treat people in Ciudad, Juarez, and very little regard 
for the value of human life. As you can see in the picture, we had 
several individuals that went with us to visit there. We had 
Congressman Reyes, we had at that time Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, 
Congressman Luis Gutierrez, and we also had a good friend of mine who 
is depicted in the photograph, Dolores Huerta, who joined me.
  But the value of that trip was to really meet and speak to the 
families, to speak to the mothers, to speak to the fathers who had 
recited their individual accounts of how they found their daughters and 
in what state they found their daughters or corpses. Yet we find today 
that we still have many remains that have not been identified, not 
because there is not a willingness to do it but because perhaps someone 
did not collect appropriate DNA information and tampered with perhaps 
evidence at the time so that you could not then retrace who was 
actually involved in these criminal atrocities.
  That, I hope, will come to an end with the passage of this 
resolution, that we can begin to work in all honesty to identify the 
remains that are still left unclaimed by the families and provide some 
resolution.
  I am very, very pleased that I had the support of our caucuses and 
outside community groups that helped to support us in this effort. It 
has been a long journey, and I want to personally thank various groups 
that helped us along this way. I want to thank in particular our 
committee staff, Paul Oostburg, for helping us, the Washington Office 
on Latin America, the Latin America Working Group, and Amnesty 
International, and many others across the country who helped us to lay 
out the foundation for the final passage of this legislation that I 
hope we will find later this afternoon.
  I would ask that the House join us in support of this resolution, and 
I look forward to seeing our friends and colleagues in the Senate also 
assist us with passage of their similar resolution that also outlines 
the same provisions in this resolution.
  Today I rise to voice my strong support for the families of women who 
have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, Mexico.
  I have always believed that attacks of women anywhere are attacks on 
women everywhere. That is why three years ago I introduced House 
Concurrent Resolution 90, a resolution to raise awareness, express 
concern and propose a set of actions to address the murders and 
disappearances of young women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, 
Mexico.
  I was horrified by the brutal murders of women just five minutes 
beyond our border. Over the past 12 years, more than 400 women have 
been brutally assaulted and murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua 
City, and few of the perpetrators of this violence have been prosecuted 
or even found.
  Women and young girls from all parts of Mexico moved to Ciudad Juarez 
in hopes of finding work, including jobs at American-owned 
maquiladoras.
  These jobs involve late hours, forcing women to travel home in the 
dark, alone, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
  Many of their bodies have been found in abandoned or desolate areas, 
showing signs of rape, torture and mutilation.
  These acts are more than just crimes; they are horrific violations of 
women's rights and human rights.
  Today, these crimes are not decreasing in frequency or brutality.
  As an example, in 2005, a 7 year-old girl was kidnapped, raped and 
brutally murdered. Another girl, just 10 years old, was raped, killed 
and set on fire in her own home. These children were taken from us too 
soon, and their anguished families will never be the same.
  While the men who murdered these particular children were caught, 
most of the victim's killers remain free and investigations of their 
cases have been minimal.
  In 2001, the so-called ``cotton field'' murder victims were 
discovered in a Ciudad Juarez cotton field. Eight women were found 
raped, mutilated, and killed.
  This case exemplifies the brutality of violence in Ciudad Juarez.
  Mexican officials tortured two men into confessing to the cotton 
field murders. Their convictions were later overturned. One of the men 
who was wrongly accused died in prison and the lawyers in the case were 
gunned down. And this horrific case remains unsolved.
  This pattern of torturing innocent men into confessing has touched 
the community I represent.
  In 2003, Neyra Cervantes disappeared near Chihuahua City, Mexico, and 
her cousin, David Mesa, lived in the Congressional District I 
represent.
  Mesa traveled to Juarez to help investigate his cousin's 
disappearance. He was incarcerated for criticizing the efforts of local 
authorities and allegedly tortured into confessing to the murder of his 
cousin. David is still in prison for the murder of his cousin--a murder 
he did not commit.
  We must end the violence against women in Ciudad Juarez and catch the 
real criminals who are murdering women, not make more victims by 
torturing innocent people into confessing. The women and families in 
Ciudad Juarez are living their daily lives in fear. We must bring more 
attention to these crimes and help end the violence.
  House Concurrent Resolution 90, the resolution we will vote on today, 
expresses concern about the continuing injustices that are killing 
young women and affecting American families in our border cities.
  This resolution urges the U.S. government to take action and commit 
to working with the Mexican government to end these tragedies.
  It is important that we, in Congress, continue to push the United 
States to work with Mexico to not only protect women in Juarez, but 
also to thoroughly investigate these crimes and bring an end to the 
murders. These atrocities have real affects on victims' families.
  In 2003 and 2004 I organized Congressional Delegation trips to Ciudad 
Juarez to meet with families of victims, Mexican government officials, 
and human rights groups.
  The mothers of victims and their families are suffering at the loss 
of their family members and continue to suffer because of inaction of 
the Mexican government. It was on these trips that my dedication to 
helping the women of Juarez was solidified. I would like to thank the 
Members of Congress and activists who have traveled to Ciudad Juarez 
with me, including Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Congressman Silvestre 
Reyes, our former colleague, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, Congresswoman 
Jan Schakowsky, and my friend, Dolores Huerta, cofounder of VFW.
  I have hosted briefings to educate others about this issue, sent 
letters to the State Department and President Bush and even to Mexico's 
President Vicente Fox urging action to end the murders of women and 
give peace to their families.
  Last year I was joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, in 
securing $200,000 from the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) to help fund a team of independent forensic experts 
from Argentina to work in Juarez identifying the unknown victims' 
remains and provide closure to their families.
  These murders have caused incredible pain for the families of 
victims, compounded by the

[[Page H1947]]

lack of response from their police and local government.
  For the first time, families of the missing will receive dependable, 
legitimate identifications of their daughters.
  While changes have been made in local and state government and some 
answers are coming to light, we must continue to pressure Mexican 
authorities to investigate crimes and do more to end the violence.
  As we move forward, we must push for thorough investigations, so the 
families have closure and so the streets are safer for all women and 
children.
  We also need to ensure safer conditions for the women of Juarez, in 
their homes, communities and workplaces.
  We must remember that no matter where it takes place, on either side 
of our border, a murder of any woman is a terrible tragedy.
  As one, unified voice against violence and one, unified voice for 
justice, our strength is in our solidarity to find peace for the 
families of Juarez.
  Ni una mas! means ``Not one more!''
  I would like to thank the 143 bipartisan cosponsors of House 
Concurrent Resolution 90.
  1 would like to thank Chairman Hyde, Ranking Member Lantos, 
Subcommittee Chairman Burton, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Engel for 
their continued support as we work to bring peace to Ciudad Juarez.
  I would also like to thank Committee Staff Paul Oostburg for his 
assistance and advocates from organizations such as the Washington 
Office on Latin America, the Latin America Working Group and Amnesty 
International for their passion.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 
90, and demonstrate our strong support for the families of victims in 
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. And I look forward to continuing to work with my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the fight for women's rights, 
human rights and an end to the violence.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to my 
good friend and distinguished colleague from Texas, Mr. Silvestre 
Reyes. His El Paso district is the sister community to Ciudad Juarez. 
He is Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on 
International Relations, and an invaluable colleague.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank Chairman Henry 
Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos, my good friend, for bringing this 
resolution to the floor today. Likewise, I would like to thank my 
colleague from Florida for handling the time on this very important 
issue.

                              {time}  1600

  I would also like to thank Ms. Solis for introducing H. Con. Res. 90, 
a resolution conveying sympathy to the families affected by the murder 
of young women in Chihuahua, Mexico, and encouraging the United States 
to be involved in bringing an end to these crimes.
  As the representative of El Paso, Texas, the neighboring city to 
Ciudad Juarez, the issue of unsolved murders is of great concern to me 
and my constituents.
  Since 1993, many women have been violently murdered in Chihuahua, 
Mexico, and many have yet to be positively identified. This leaves 
family members with more questions than answers about the fate of their 
loved ones. In the past, I have urged Mexican President Vicente Fox to 
launch a comprehensive investigation to help bring an end to these 
murders and to bring those responsible to justice. In addition, I 
hosted, as the Ms. Solis mentioned, a congressional delegation in El 
Paso and Ciudad Juarez so my colleagues, including Congresswoman Solis, 
could learn more about the subject and about the assistance needed in 
this region of Mexico.
  In July of 2005, I offered an amendment to the Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006-2007 to encourage the 
administration to raise the issue of murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, 
Mexico, with their counterparts in Mexico and to assist with the 
identification of murdered women.
  Thorough forensic analysis and DNA testing are necessary to identify 
the bodies that have been found to date. An example of how this 
technology can be crucial to an investigation took place in May 2005. 
With the cooperation of the El Paso Police Department and the FBI, the 
body of 7-year-old Airis Estrella Enriquez from Ciudad Juarez was 
identified and had her killers brought to justice due to DNA analysis.
  In addition, with the financial assistance of USAID, the Bode 
Technology Group, a DNA laboratory located in Springfield, Virginia, 
and local forensic teams have been collecting thousands of samples from 
exhumed remains in order to process the samples and help identify 
possible future matches. This technology will not only provide answers 
and bring peace of mind to the families, enabling them to grieve, heal 
and seek justice for their murdered loved ones, but it will also 
contribute to the strengthening of judicial institutions in Ciudad 
Juarez, Mexico.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in sending our sincere condolences to 
the families of murdered women, condemning the homicide against women, 
and encouraging the U.S. and Mexican authorities to work together to 
solve these murders and help ensure the safety of the women of Ciudad 
Juarez. Please support H. Con. Res. 90.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 90 and 
stand in solidarity with the families of 370 women who have been 
abducted, brutally assaulted, raped and murdered in the Mexican cities 
of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua since 1993. These families seek justice 
for the atrocious acts committed against their daughters--some as young 
as the age of 13--and I urge President Bush to offer whatever 
assistance he can to bring these criminals to justice.
  Even today, we do not know who many of the perpetrators are. Many of 
the victims bodies have yet to be identified and returned to their 
families. Local government and law enforcement agencies in the State of 
Chihuahua have been ineffective in their investigations and require 
massive reform. Spurred by public outcry, the Mexican Federal 
Government launched a special investigation into the local governing 
bodies, only to uncover countless instances of negligence and abuse of 
power by over 100 police, prosecutors, and other government officials.
  Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation as members of the international 
community to condemn violence against women and offer humanitarian 
assistance where we can. The President and the Secretary of State must 
intervene in this matter. These vicious criminals must be prosecuted 
and punished to the full extent of the law as soon as possible. We 
cannot allow ineffective government officials and bureaucratic defects 
to prevent justice from being served.
  The families of these 370 women deserve closure and we must do all we 
can to prevent any further tragedies of this nature from reoccurring. 
As a father, grandfather, and husband, I could not think of any more 
horrific or painful a tragedy to strike a family.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 
90, Conveying the Sympathy of Congress to the Families of the Young 
Women Murdered in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, and Encouraging 
Increased United States Involvement in Bringing an End to These Crimes. 
I am a cosponsor to this important resolution and would like to thank 
Representative Solis for introducing this legislation.
  For over thirteen years, a stones throw from the U.S. border, almost 
400 women and young teenagers have been brutally assaulted and 
murdered. A disgraceful number of these murders have still not been 
resolved and many perpetrators still roam free, attacking other 
innocent women.
  Family members of murdered women have worked tirelessly to try to 
bring justice to their daughters, wives and sisters. They have often 
faced great odds and opposition from local Mexican officials, yet have 
continued to fight for the truth and work to try to prevent future 
atrocities by bringing the rule of law to Cuidad Juarez and Chihuahua. 
My heart goes out to these families for their losses, and I urge the 
FBI, the U.S. State Department and all levels of the government of 
Mexico to reinvigorate their efforts and work to do all that is 
possible to bring justice and closure to these horrible tragedies.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 
90, and I wish to express my respect and admiration for the gentlelady 
from California, Congresswoman Solis, for her important leadership on 
this tragic issue.
  Since 1993, nearly 440 women have been killed in Ciudad Juarez and 
the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. Most of the victims are young, poor 
women. Nearly one-third worked in maquiladora factories that flourish 
along the U.S.-Mexican border; another third were students; Over 100 of 
these women were sexually assaulted prior to their murders, and these 
cases may be related. Other murders appear to be the product of 
domestic and intimate partner violence.
  Regrettably, the Mexican authorities have done little to investigate 
the murders: According to human rights investigations into these

[[Page H1948]]

murders, at least 130 police, prosecutors, and forensic officials were 
negligent or abusive in their handling of the murder investigations. 
Frequently, these officers of the law blame the victim for her own 
violent death. They have ignored, deceived, harassed and even attacked 
the families of the victims. While a few men have been convicted for 
some of the sexual murders, several of the victims' families believe 
these men are scapegoats, while the real perpetrators remain free at-
large. As long as the wrong people are in prison, the killers remain 
unpunished and able to kill again and again.
  We know that the police have used torture to obtain confessions from 
several people, even though no physical evidence connected these 
individuals to the crimes. For example, days after eight women's bodies 
were found in a field in downtown Juarez, two men were arrested and 
tortured into confessing to their murders. No physical evidence links 
them to the crime. Police killed one of their lawyers. One of the men 
died in prison. The judge presiding over the case ignored the remaining 
detainee's credible allegations of torture and the lack of evidence 
against him, and convicted him to 50 years in prison for the murders. 
The families of the murdered women do not believe he is the person 
responsible for their daughters' deaths.
  Mr. Speaker, the Ciudad Juarez murders are an issue that embraces 
both sides of the border: U.S. citizens have been arrested for the 
murders, have been victims of the murders, and have had loved ones lost 
to murder. U.S. citizen Cynthia Kiecker and her husband, a Mexican 
national, were arrested and tortured in June 2003, accused of the 
murder of a young woman in Chihuahua. They were acquitted in December 
2004. In another case, one U.S. citizen's daughter disappeared in July 
2000.
  I believe that the Mexican government will respond to U.S. and 
international pressure to solve these murders and bring peace of mind 
to the victims' families, and restore peace and security to the people 
who live in the State of Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez, in particular. 
Already, as a result of international pressure, the federal Mexican 
government has appointed a special commissioner to prevent violence 
against women in Juarez, as well as appointing a special prosecutor to 
find out what went wrong with the previous murder investigations.
  But Mexican federal and state authorities have made too many 
promises, and still there is too little progress in any of these 
investigations.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 90 will clearly tell the families of these 
women that their voices and their pleas for justice have not gone 
unheard. They have our sympathy, and they have our support. But passage 
of this bill will also send a clear message to the Mexican authorities 
that the United States Congress is concerned about these murders, 
willing to have our government assist in their investigation, and that 
we want the perpetrators of these heinous acts arrested and put behind 
bars.
  The lives of all these young women had meaning and promise. Let us 
remember them now, and solemnly vow to their families that we will work 
to bring their killers to justice.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gingrey). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. 
Res. 90, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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