Conveying Sympathy of Congress to Families of Young Women Murdered in Chihuahua, Mexico

CONVEYING SYMPATHY OF CONGRESS TO FAMILIES OF YOUNG WOMEN MURDERED IN CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO -- (House of Representatives - May 02, 2006)

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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 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.

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.

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