A MEMORIAL

CONVEYING THE SYMPATHY OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO TO THE FAMILIES OF THE YOUNG WOMEN MURDERED NEAR THE CITY OF JUAREZ IN THE STATE OF CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO, AND ENCOURAGING INCREASED NEW MEXICO INVOLVEMENT IN BRINGING AN END TO THESE CRIMES.

     WHEREAS, since 1993, the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and the state of Chihuahua have been plagued with the abduction, sexual assault and brutal murders of more than four hundred girls and women, many of whom are under twenty-five years of age; and

     WHEREAS, many of the victims are not yet positively identified, dozens of young women fitting the profile of previous victims are missing and many of the crimes show signs of being connected to one or more serial killers; and

     WHEREAS, many of the abductions occur in broad daylight, and, as a result, many women in Juarez report being afraid to leave their homes; and

     WHEREAS, many of these victims had been employed in maquiladoras or had been training to work in them and disappeared going to or from work or training, and the policies of many maquiladoras concerning transportation and locking out tardy employees are alleged to be contributing factors in these disappearances; and

     WHEREAS, numerous international corporations operating the maquiladoras, including some corporations based in the United States, benefit greatly from the labor force available in Juarez and Chihuahua; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico and Chihuahua are sister states, sharing a common cultural heritage and enjoying long ties in trade and commerce; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico law enforcement personnel have provided training to the police agencies in Chihuahua charged with preventing and investigating these crimes, even though numerous agents and officials of the Mexican police have been implicated in these crimes themselves; and

     WHEREAS, the federal bureau of investigation has stated that one or more killers might be crossing the United States border in connection with these crimes; and

     WHEREAS, arrests, detentions and tortures of uninvolved suspects, including some United States citizens, have been carried out with little or no evidence, while numerous leads and eyewitness accounts that could have led to the arrest of actual perpetrators have not been adequately pursued; and

     WHEREAS, support and pressure from American and international corporations operating maquiladoras on the border could help bring resolution to the crimes and promote an atmosphere of democracy and rule by law in the state of Chihuahua;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the hundreds of unsolved abductions, rapes and murders of young women in Chihuahua, especially in Ciudad Juarez, that have taken place since 1993 be condemned and that sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims be expressed; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor and the attorney general of New Mexico be requested to express concern to their Mexican counterparts about these crimes and offer whatever assistance is needed to put an end to this shameful plague and to ensure that fair and proper police investigations and judicial proceedings be carried out in connection with this crime wave; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state investment council be requested to research whether United States businesses operating maquiladoras in Chihuahua are included in the investment portfolios of any of the state permanent funds, including the member contribution fund as provided in the Public Employees Retirement Act and the educational retirement fund, and provide a report to the interim legislative health and human services committee by September 2005 on the extent of such investments; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor be requested to conduct a thorough review of all existing relationships between New Mexico law enforcement agencies and those in Chihuahua to determine whether international human rights standards and principles are being followed during law enforcement training and whether efficient background checks and criminal vetting procedures are being performed before offering training to Mexican law enforcement personnel; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that May 5, 2005 be declared as a "Day of Solidarity with the Women of Chihuahua" in the senate; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and the attorney general of New Mexico, the mayor of Ciudad Juarez and the governor of the state of Chihuahua.