On May 2, the House approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 90) that would convey the sympathy of Congress to the families of the young women murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico, and urge increased U.S. involvement to end these crimes. The House International Relations Committee approved the resolution on March 15, 2006 (see The Source, 3/17/06). Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced an identical Senate resolution (S. Con. Res. 16) in March 2005.
“I have always believed that attacks on women are attacks on women everywhere,” stated resolution sponsor Hilda Solis (D-CA). “When I took a delegation to Ciudad Juarez,” she said, “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.”
Expressing the hope that the resolution will “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,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) stated, “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.”
