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MOURNING THE HORRIFIC LOSS OF LIFE CAUSED BY FLOODS

AND MUDSLIDES IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO AND

EXPRESSING THAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ASSIST THE AFFECTED PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES;

CONVEYING SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILIES OF THE YOUNG

WOMEN MURDERED IN CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO, AND ENCOURAGING INCREASED U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN ENDING THESE

CRIMES; AND REMEMBERING AND COMMEMORATING THE

LIVES OF SISTERS MAURA CLARKE, ITA FORD AND DOROTHY

KAZEL, AND TEAM MEMBER JEAN DONOVAN, WHO WERE

EXECUTED BY MEMBERS OF EL SALVADOR’S ARMED FORCES

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. Con. Res. 280, H. Con. Res. 90 and H. Res. 458

NOVEMBER 2, 2005

Serial No. 109–107

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international

( —relations 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman 

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, 

Vice Chairman 

DAN BURTON, Indiana 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California 

PETER T. KING, New York 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado 

RON PAUL, Texas 

DARRELL ISSA, California 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia 

MARK GREEN, Wisconsin 

JERRY WELLER, Illinois 

MIKE PENCE, Indiana 

THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan 

KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas 

J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina 

CONNIE MACK, Florida 

JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska 

MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

TOM LANTOS, California 

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California 

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey 

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

BARBARA LEE, California 

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California 

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California 

DIANE E. WATSON, California 

ADAM SMITH, Washington 

BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota 

BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky 

DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California 

THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel 

ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

DAN BURTON, Indiana, Chairman 

RON PAUL, Texas 

JERRY WELLER, Illinois, Vice Chairman 

KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida 

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

CONNIE MACK, Florida 

MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas 

ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey 

GRACE NAPOLITANO, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

BARBARA LEE, California 

MARK WALKER, Subcommittee Staff Director 

JESSICA LEWIS, Democratic Professional Staff Member 

DAN S. GETZ, Professional Staff Member 

BRIAN WANKO, Staff Associate 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF 

H. Con. Res. 280, Mourning the horrific loss of life caused by the floods 

and mudslides that occurred in October 2005 in Central America and 

Mexico and expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should 

do everything possible to assist the affected people and communities ............ 2

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 .................................................................................................................... 9

H. Res. 458, Remembering and commemorating the lives and work of 

Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy 

Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan, who were 

executed by members of the armed forces of El Salvador on December 

2, 1980 ................................................................................................................... 16

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

The Honorable Robert Menendez, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of New Jersey: Prepared statement .......................................................... 25

APPENDIX 

The Honorable Hilda L. Solis, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of California: Prepared statement ...................................................................... 27

(1)

MOURNING THE HORRIFIC LOSS OF LIFE CAUSED BY 

FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND 

MEXICO AND EXPRESSING THAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ASSIST THE AFFECTED PEOPLE 

AND COMMUNITIES; CONVEYING SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILIES OF THE YOUNG WOMEN MURDERED IN CHIHUAHUA, 

MEXICO, AND ENCOURAGING INCREASED U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN ENDING THESE CRIMES; AND REMEMBERING 

AND COMMEMORATING THE LIVES OF SISTERS MAURA 

CLARKE, ITA FORD AND DOROTHY KAZEL, AND TEAM 

MEMBER JEAN DONOVAN, WHO WERE EXECUTED BY MEMBERS OF EL SALVADOR’S ARMED FORCES 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, 

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, 

Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:35 p.m. in room 

2172, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Dan Burton 

(Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. 

Mr. BURTON. The Subcommittee will come to order. We have a 

series of noncontroversial bills on the agenda. It is the intention of 

the Chair to consider these measures en bloc, and by unanimous 

consent, we will order them reported favorably to the Full Committee. All Members are given leave to insert remarks on the measures into the record, should they choose to do so. 

Accordingly, I ask unanimous consent that the following bills are 

ordered favorably reported to the Full Committee: H. Con. Res. 

280, ‘‘Mourning the horrific loss of life caused by the floods and 

mudslides that occurred in October 2005 in Central America and 

Mexico and expressing the sense of Congress that the United 

States should do everything possible to assist the affected people 

and communities;’’ 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,’’ and these are horrible things that are going on down there; and H. Res. 458, ‘‘Remembering and commemorating the lives and work of Maryknoll 

Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, 

and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan, who 

were executed by members of the armed forces of El Salvador on 

December 2, 1980.’’

[The resolutions referred to follow:]

2

1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 280

Mourning the horrific loss of life caused by the floods and mudslides that

occurred in October 2005 in Central America and Mexico and expressing

the sense of Congress that the United States should do everything

possible to assist the affected people and communities.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 27, 2005

Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr.

MENENDEZ, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. LEE, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. WELLER,

Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. MACK, Ms. HARRIS, and Mr. FORTUN ̃O) submitted

the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Mourning the horrific loss of life caused by the floods and

mudslides that occurred in October 2005 in Central

America and Mexico and expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should do everything possible to assist the affected people and communities.

Whereas on October 4, 2005, Hurricane Stan made landfall

on Mexico’s Gulf coast, bringing sustained winds of 80

miles per hour before weakening to a tropical storm and

generating separate storms across southern Mexico and

Central America;

Whereas Hurricane Wilma, a category four hurricane, made

landfall in Cozumel, Mexico on October 22, 2005, and


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stalled over the Yucatan Peninsula bringing over 60

inches of rain to some parts of the Peninsula and causing

severe flooding, over 75,000 evacuations, damaging between 30–40 percent of the houses in Cancun, and causing severe damage to the area’s vital tourism industry;

Whereas the heavy rainfall associated with these storms

caused widespread and severe flooding that has affected

millions of people across Central America, including the

people of Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and

the people of Mexico;

Whereas, as of October 12, 2005, the flooding had killed an

estimated 2,000 people across Central America and Mexico, according to government estimates which are expected to be revised upwards;

Whereas rains have produced more than 900 landslides, burying entire villages and causing numerous deaths in Guatemala, with official government estimates confirming

654 deaths, 577 people missing, and more than 120,000

people affected across 621 communities in the provinces

of Escuintla, Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, Chiquimula,

San Marcos, Chimaltenango, El Quiche ́, and Baja

Verapa;

Whereas many of the affected areas are especially vulnerable

to natural disasters and lack access to basic healthcare,

sanitation, and medical services;

Whereas the flooding and landslides have damaged housing

and public infrastructure in 251 of the 331 municipalities

in Guatemala and sustained rains across much of the

country have hampered ongoing relief efforts;

Whereas two simultaneous emergencies in El Salvador—the

severe flooding caused by Tropical Storm Stan and the


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eruption of the Santa Ana volcano on October 1, 2005—

have affected half of the country and forced the evacuation of more than 69,000 people to local shelters;

Whereas Tropical Storm Stan caused massive flooding in the

Mexican States of Veracruz, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco,

Puebla, Hidalgo, and Guerrero and forced the evacuation

of approximately 370,000 people from nearly 3,000 communities to local shelters, according to the Government

of Mexico;

Whereas extensive rainfall in the Costa Rican provinces of

Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Puntarenas, and

San Jose in the Pacific and Central Valley caused severe

flooding and landslides, forcing more than 1,000 people

in 459 communities to evacuate to local shelters, damaged 550 houses, 117 bridges, and 11 educational buildings, and more than 281 roads have been blocked or

damaged by mudslides;

Whereas many families in these affected areas are homeless

and in desperate need of reconstruction help;

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/

OFDA) initially provided $150,000 to USAID/Guatemala

for the local purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies, as well as for helicopter support, including

fuel and rental of local helicopters and an additional

$1,200,000 to USAID/Guatemala for emergency grants

to nongovernmental organization partners for emergency

health, water and sanitation, and shelter activities;

Whereas USAID/OFDA committed $200,000 to support the

Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) emergency


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health and water and sanitation activities as part of the

United Nations joint appeal;

Whereas USAID/OFDA is working closely with the Governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico to coordinate transportation and distribution of relief

commodities to affected communities and for the local

purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies,

water, and food;

Whereas on October 8, 2005, the United States Southern

Command (USSOUTHCOM) deployed a 58-person team

to Guatemala City to assist with ongoing disaster relief

efforts in southwestern Guatemala and sent nine United

States Army helicopters to conduct search and rescue

missions and provide for the transportation of emergency

relief supplies, including food, medical supplies, and communications equipment, to affected areas, as well as flying in host nation firefighters, emergency aid workers,

and doctors; and

Whereas the United States initially has provided $100,000 to

the Mexican Red Cross for the local purchase and distribution of emergency relief supplies to aid victims of

Hurricane Wilma, and a USAID/OFDA team is working

with USAID/Mexico, local disaster officials, and other organizations to assess impacts, aid requirements, and deliver further emergency assistance: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That—

3 (1) Congress—


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1 (A) mourns the horrific loss of life caused

2 by the floods and mudslides that occurred in

3 October 2005 in Central America and Mexico;

4 (B) expresses its deep condolences to the

5 families of the many victims;

6 (C) commits to provide the necessary re7 sources and to stand by the people of Costa

8 Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico in

9 the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts;

10 (D) applauds the prompt humanitarian re11 sponse to this natural disaster by the United

12 States Agency for International Development,

13 the United States Armed Forces, and other de14 partments and agencies of the United States

15 Government, the United Nations and other

16 international organizations, and nongovern17 mental organizations;

18 (E) recognizes the growing support by

19 international donors for relief efforts;

20 (F) affirms its commitment to additional

21 United States support for relief and long-term

22 reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the

23 flooding;

24 (G) urges continued attention by donors

25 and relief agencies to the needs of vulnerable


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1 populations in the stricken countries, particu2 larly those left homeless by this disaster and

3 whose welfare and economic livelihoods have

4 been disrupted;

5 (H) urges assistance which targets imme6 diate and long-term infrastructure needs, with a

7 special emphasis on improvements that aim to

8 increase emergency preparedness and withstand

9 future natural disaster events; and

10 (I) encourages the Administration and

11 other international donors to provide immediate

12 and long-term assistance for the reconstruction

13 of affected infrastructure that is a requisite for

14 the economic and social development of the dev15 astated communities; and

16 (2) it is the sense of Congress that it should be

17 the policy of the United States—

18 (A) to promote economic growth and im19 proved living standards, reduce poverty, and

20 promote democracy and the rule of law in the

21 countries of Central America;

22 (B) in concert with multilateral humani23 tarian organizations, the Organization of Amer24 ican States and the Inter-American Develop25 ment Bank, to actively support the reconstrucVerDate Mar 21 2002 14:41 Jan 25, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\WH\110205M\24375.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 tion of affected communities in places to be de2 termined by respective governments in collabo3 ration with representatives of such commu4 nities;

5 (C) to expedite humanitarian relief and re6 construction efforts in order to mitigate the im7 mediate and long-term threats to public health,

8 economic development, and security in Central

9 America;

10 (D) to provide technical assistance to Cen11 tral American governments in order to

12 strengthen the capacity of first responders and

13 governmental institutions at the national, pro14 vincial, and local levels in the area of disaster

15 management coordination and preparedness, in16 cluding information and communications sys17 tems to help with the response to natural disas18 ters; and

19 (E) to encourage the governments of these

20 countries to improve disaster mitigation tech21 niques and compliance among all key sectors of

22 their societies.

Æ


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1

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION 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.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Ms. SOLIS (for herself, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mrs. CAPPS,

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. REYES, and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

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.

Whereas the Mexican cities of Ciudad Jua ́rez and Chihuahua

have been plagued with the abduction, sexual assault, and

brutal murders of more than 370 young women since

1993;

Whereas there have been at least 30 murders of women in

Ciudad Jua ́rez and the city of Chihuahua since 2004;

Whereas at least 137 of the victims were sexually assaulted

prior to their murders;


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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 Jua ́rez,

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 Federal special prosecutor, in her ongoing review of the Ciudad Jua ́rez 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 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;


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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

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) condemns the ongoing abductions and mur4 ders of young women in Ciudad Jua ́rez and the city


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1 of Chihuahua in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico,

2 since 1993;

3 (2) expresses its sincerest condolences and

4 deepest sympathy to the families of the victims of

5 these murders;

6 (3) recognizes the courageous struggle of the

7 victims’ families in seeking justice for the victims;

8 (4) urges the President and Secretary of State

9 to incorporate the investigative and preventative ef10 forts of the Mexican Government in the bilateral

11 agenda between the Governments of Mexico and the

12 United States and to continue to express concern

13 over these abductions and murders to the Govern14 ment of Mexico;

15 (5) urges the President and Secretary of State

16 to continue to express support for the efforts of the

17 victims’ families to seek justice for the victims, to

18 express concern relating to the continued harass19 ment of these families and the human rights defend20 ers with whom they work, and to express concern

21 with respect to impediments in the ability of the

22 families to receive prompt and accurate information

23 in their cases;

24 (6) supports efforts to identify unknown victims

25 through forensic analysis, including DNA testing,


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1 conducted by independent, impartial experts who are

2 sensitive to the special needs and concerns of the

3 victims’ families, as well as efforts to make these

4 services available to any families who have doubts

5 about the results of prior forensic testing;

6 (7) condemns the use of torture as a means of

7 investigation into these crimes;

8 (8) encourages the Secretary of State to con9 tinue to include in the annual Country Report on

10 Human Rights of the Department of State all in11 stances of improper investigatory methods, threats

12 against human rights activists, and the use of tor13 ture with respect to cases involving the murder and

14 abduction of young women in the State of Chi15 huahua;

16 (9) encourages the Secretary of State to urge

17 the Government of Mexico and the State of Chi18 huahua to review the cases of murdered women in

19 which those accused or convicted of murder have

20 credibly alleged they were tortured or forced by a

21 state agent to confess to the crime;

22 (10) strongly recommends that the United

23 States Ambassador to Mexico visit Ciudad Jua ́rez

24 and the city of Chihuahua for the purpose of meet25 ing with the families of the victims, women’s rights


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1 organizations, and Mexican Federal and State offi2 cials responsible for investigating these crimes and

3 preventing future such crimes;

4 (11) encourages the Secretary of State to urge

5 the Government of Mexico to ensure fair and proper

6 judicial proceedings for the individuals who are ac7 cused of these abductions and murders and to im8 pose appropriate punishment for those individuals

9 subsequently determined to be guilty of such crimes;

10 (12) encourages the Secretary of State to urge

11 the State of Chihuahua to hold accountable those

12 law enforcement officials whose failure to adequately

13 investigate the murders, whether through negligence,

14 omission, or abuse, has led to impunity for these

15 crimes;

16 (13) recognizes the special prosecutor has

17 begun to review cases and encourages the expansion

18 of her mission to include the city of Chihuahua;

19 (14) strongly supports the work of the special

20 commissioner to prevent violence against women in

21 Ciudad Jua ́rez and Chihuahua City;

22 (15) condemns all senseless acts of violence in

23 all parts of the world and, in particular, violence

24 against women; and


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1 (16) expresses the solidarity of the people of the

2 United States with the people of Mexico in the face

3 of these tragic and senseless acts.

Æ


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1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 458

Remembering and commemorating the lives and work of Maryknoll Sisters

Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan, who were executed

by members of the armed forces of El Salvador on December 2, 1980.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 22, 2005

Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself, Mr. LEACH, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. KING of New

York, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.

DELAHUNT, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. WATSON, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota,

Mr. TIERNEY, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. KAPTUR,

Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. OLVER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. LYNCH, Mr.

KUCINICH, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mrs. KELLY, and Mr. OBEY) submitted

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Remembering and commemorating the lives and work of

Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline

Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team

Member Jean Donovan, who were executed by members

of the armed forces of El Salvador on December 2,

1980.

Whereas on December 2, 1980, four United States churchwomen, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford,

Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay MisVerDate Mar 21 2002 14:41 Jan 25, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\WH\110205M\24375.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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sion Team Member Jean Donovan, were violated and executed by members of the National Guard of El Salvador;

Whereas in 1980 Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita

Ford were working in the parish of the Church of San

Juan Bautista in Chalatenango, El Salvador, providing

food, transportation, and other assistance to refugees and

Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan were working in the

parish of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in La

Libertad, El Salvador, providing assistance and support

to refugees and other victims of violence;

Whereas these four United States churchwomen dedicated

their lives to working with the poor of El Salvador, especially women and children left homeless, displaced and

destitute by the Salvadoran civil war;

Whereas these four United States churchwomen joined the

more than 70,000 civilians who were murdered during

the course of the Salvadoran civil war;

Whereas on May 23 and May 24, 1984, five members of the

National Guard of El Salvador—Subsergeant Luis Antonio Colindres Aleman, Daniel Canales Ramirez, Carlos

Joaquin Contreras Palacios, Francisco Orlando Contreras

Recinos, and Jose Roberto Moreno Canjura—were found

guilty by the Salvadoran courts of the executions of the

churchwomen and were sentenced to thirty years in prison, marking the first case in the history of El Salvador

where a member of the Salvadoran Armed Forces was

convicted of murder by a Salvadoran judge;

Whereas the United Nations Commission on the Truth for El

Salvador was established under the terms of the historic

January 1992 Peace Accords that ended El Salvador’s


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•HRES 458 IH

twelve years of civil war and was charged to investigate

and report to the Salvadoran people on human rights

crimes committed by all sides during the course of the

civil war;

Whereas in March 1993 the United Nations Commission on

the Truth for El Salvador found that the execution of the

four United States churchwomen was planned and that

Subsergeant Luis Antonio Colindres Aleman carried out

orders from a superior to execute them, and that then

Colonel Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, then DirectorGeneral of the National Guard and his cousin Lieutenant

Colonel Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar, then Commander of the Zacatecoluca military detachment where

the murders were committed, and other military personnel knew that members of the National Guard had

committed the murders pursuant to orders of a superior

and that the subsequent cover-up of the facts adversely

affected the judicial investigation into the murders of the

four United States churchwomen;

Whereas the United Nations Commission on the Truth for El

Salvador determined that General Jose Guillermo Garcia,

then Minister of Defense, made no serious effort to conduct a thorough investigation of responsibility for the

murders of the churchwomen;

Whereas the families of the four United States churchwomen

continue their efforts to determine the full truth surrounding the murders of their loved ones, appreciate the

cooperation of United States Government agencies in disclosing and providing documents relevant to the churchwomen’s murders, and pursue requests to release to the

family members the few remaining undisclosed documents

and reports pertaining to this case;


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Whereas the families of the four United States churchwomen

appreciate the ability of those harmed by violence to

bring suit against Salvadoran military officers in United

States courts under the Torture Victim Protection Act of

1991 (28 U.S.C. 1350 note);

Whereas the lives of these four United States churchwomen

have, for the past 25 years, served as inspiration and

continue to inspire Salvadorans, Americans, and people

throughout the world to answer the call to service and to

pursue lives dedicated to addressing the needs and aspirations of the poor, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged, especially among women and children;

Whereas the lives of the four United States churchwomen

have also inspired numerous books, plays, films, music,

religious, and cultural events;

Whereas schools, libraries, research centers, spiritual centers,

health clinics, women’s and children’s programs in the

United States and in El Salvador have been named after

or dedicated to Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford and

Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan;

Whereas the Maryknoll Sisters, headquartered in Ossining,

New York, the Ursuline Sisters, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, numerous Religious Task Forces in the

United States, and the Salvadoran and international religious communities based in El Salvador annually commemorate the lives and martyrdom of the four United

States churchwomen;

Whereas the historic January 1992 Peace Accords ended

twelve years of civil war and have allowed the Government and the people of El Salvador to achieve significant


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20

5

•HRES 458 IH

progress in creating and strengthening democratic political, economic, and social institutions; and

Whereas December 2, 2005, marks the 25th anniversary of

the deaths of these four spiritual, courageous, and generous United States churchwomen: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) remembers and commemorates the lives and

3 work of Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, and Doro4 thy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan;

5 (2) extends sympathy and support for the fami6 lies, friends, and religious communities of the four

7 United States churchwomen;

8 (3) continues to find inspiration in the lives and

9 work of these four United States churchwomen;

10 (4) calls upon the people of the United States

11 and religious congregations to participate in local,

12 national, and international events commemorating

13 the 25th anniversary of the martyrdom of the four

14 United States churchwomen;

15 (5) recognizes that while progress has been

16 made during the post-war period, the work begun by

17 the four United States churchwomen remains unfin18 ished and social and economic hardships persist

19 among many sectors of Salvadoran society; and

20 (6) calls upon the President, the Secretary of

21 State, the Administrator of the United States AgenVerDate Mar 21 2002 14:41 Jan 25, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\WH\110205M\24375.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

24375c.AAF
21

6

•HRES 458 IH

1 cy for International Development, and the heads of

2 other United States Government departments and

3 agencies to continue to support and collaborate with

4 the Government of El Salvador and with private sec5 tor, nongovernmental, and religious organizations in

6 their efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and to

7 promote educational opportunity, health care, and

8 social equity for the people of El Salvador.

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24375c.AAG
22

Mr. BURTON. Do you reserve the right to object? Mr. Delahunt 

reserves the right to object. Would you, under your reservation, let 

me make a statement? 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I certainly would. 

Mr. BURTON. We call Mr. Delahunt the ‘‘Silver Fox’’—he is from 

Massachusetts—because of his eyes. 

Unfortunately, this past year will likely be long referred to as 

‘‘The Year of Natural Disasters.’’ Following the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia in late 2004 and the devastating earthquake in South Asia last month, wildfires in the United States, 

hurricanes that affected most of the Western Hemisphere, many 

people throughout the world will spend the next few years rebuilding their lives and their communities. 

The United States and our neighbors in Central and South 

America and the Caribbean have endured heavy losses from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Stan, Wilma, and now Beta. On October 4, 

2005, Hurricane Stan made landfall in Mexico’s Gulf Coast, bringing sustained winds of over 80 miles an hour and heavy rainfall. 

Torrential downpours caused widespread flooding and severe 

mudslides, killing an estimated 2,000 people and affecting millions 

of others across Central America, including the people of Costa 

Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. 

On October 2, 2005, Hurricane Wilma, a category four hurricane, 

made landfall in Cozumel, Mexico, and stalled over the Yucatan 

Peninsula, bringing over 60 inches of rain to some parts of the peninsula and causing severe flooding, over 75,000 evacuations, damaging between 30 and 40 percent of the houses in Cancun, and 

causing severe damage to the area’s vital tourism industry. 

We need to assist our friends in Mexico in much the same way 

as they have responded to the devastation along our Gulf Coast in 

the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and we are grateful to them for 

their assistance. 

Last week, I met with Guatemala’s foreign minister, Jorge 

Abularach, and I offered condolences and sympathy to the families 

of the victims and offered support for their survivors. The foreign 

minister was grateful for the outpouring of support and assistance 

his country has received in the aftermath of these devastating 

floods and mudslides from Hurricane Stan. I have seen photos of 

towns in Guatemala that have turned into mass graves, and our 

prayers are with those communities. Some of those people are 

never going to be found; they are under 7 feet of mud. 

I introduced H. Con. Res. 280 last week to urge expedited humanitarian relief, as well as stronger efforts to provide technical 

assistance to Central American governments, in order to strengthen the capacity of first responders and governmental institutions at 

the national, provincial, and local levels. Furthermore, the legislation urges assistance which targets immediate and long-term infrastructure needs with a special emphasis on improvements that are 

aimed to increase emergency preparedness to withstand future natural disasters. 

While this resolution deals with the destructive power of nature 

and both the precautionary and responsive measures that should 

be taken to minimize risks and losses due to natural disasters, the 

23

other two resolutions we are considering deal with brutality at the 

hands of men and disregard for the value of human life. 

I want to commend my colleagues, Congresswoman Solis and 

Congressman McGovern, for introducing the resolutions that we 

are marking up today, and you have been very insistent that we 

get this thing marked up, and your insistence, I think, is wellfounded. 

Congresswoman Solis’s measure conveys congressional support 

for justice, accountability, and closure in the investigations of violence against women in the Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City in 

Mexico. The resolution stresses the need for more cooperation between law enforcement agencies in both countries and recognizes 

the important, ongoing work of the special prosecutor and human 

rights ombudsman to prevent violence against women. 

While Mexican federal, state, and local officials have invested 

time and energy in resolving these murder cases, much more cooperation with their counterparts in the United States is needed to 

ensure that every investigative avenue is explored and every lead 

followed. 

I believe that only through a combined cooperative effort, using 

every law enforcement resource of the two nations, can we solve 

these cases and bring the perpetrators to justice and end the terror 

they have inflicted on both sides of the border. 

Hundreds of women have disappeared. They have been sold into 

slavery, we believe. They have been murdered, they have been 

raped, they have been mistreated, they have been tortured, and 

something has got to be done about it. Some Mexican officials have 

been very resolute in getting to the bottom of this, and others have 

not given a darn, and I think that is tragic. 

We think that the violation of women in the United States is 

bad, and it is horrible, and I have seen this firsthand, but what is 

going on down there is just unconscionable, and I hope the Mexican 

Government, if we have any of their representatives here or at the 

Full Committee, will do what they can to increase the diligence in 

dealing with this terrible tragedy. 

Mr. McGovern’s resolution pays tribute to four inspiring American church women who worked on behalf of some of the poorest 

Salvadorans, including refugees and children left homeless during 

El Salvador’s civil war. The four were murdered in El Salvador 25 

years ago, and members of the armed forces who perpetrated this 

heinous crime were brought to justice in 1984. 

I urge my colleagues and all of the other Members who are here 

to support these resolutions and report them favorably to the Full 

Committee. 

Does anybody else want to make a statement under your reservation? 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I do not know if Mr. Weller does. I will defer to 

him first. 

If I could request of the Chair, you were absolutely correct in 

terms of your identification of Congresswoman Solis’s engagement 

in the issue dealing with the tragic situation in Mexico. This is a 

markup. She is not a Member of the Committee, but I would ask 

unanimous consent that Representative Solis would be allowed to 

make a short statement, if she so desires. 

24

Mr. BURTON. You have worked on this a long time, and, without 

objection, we would love to hear from you. 

Ms. SOLIS. I want to thank Chairman Burton, obviously, and Mr. 

Delahunt and the Members of the Committee. We have worked on 

this now for about 3 years. We have over 133 co-sponsors, many 

Republicans and also Democrats, but we have the support of, I 

think, our country, both sides, and you would be surprised to see 

the women of Ciudad Juarez, the mothers and the parents that 

have to go through, day by day, trying to figure out where the remains of their daughters are. My understanding is that there has 

been some productive work now since we began this discussion 

some 3 years ago. We still have a long ways to go, and your words 

were very accurate and very concise, and I appreciate that. 

We want to continue to see that we can get the Full Committee 

support on this, and hopefully, at the next phase, also update some 

of the language because I understand you have to block this particular project now, but we would like to work with you and look 

forward to working with you on other issues. I have had the opportunity to travel with Congressman Delahunt to other parts of the 

world and know that this Committee is very, very committed to 

striking out when they see injustice. So I want to commend you 

and your staff and the work of the Committee and, of course, my 

staff and some in the audience that have been a part of this effort. 

So thank you very much. Gracias. Thank you. 

Mr. BURTON. Before——

Mr. DELAHUNT. I feel compelled to, and I want to, first of all, associate myself with the remarks of the Chairman, and I also want 

to compliment our colleague, Representative Solis. 

I would be remiss if I did not note the efforts by my dear friend 

and colleague from Massachusetts, Jim McGovern, in the resolution dealing with the four church women, religious people, who 

were murdered and raped some 25 years ago on December 2nd in 

El Salvador. I feel compelled to note that they have been an inspiration for me, and I am honored to be a co-sponsor of this particular resolution. 

I am not one to discuss religion in a public venue, but I do attend 

mass in Boston at The Paulist Center, and there is a corner of that 

place of worship where the pictures of those four women are presented to the public. They have faces of spiritual grace. At mass 

this week, there was a hymn that I found particularly moving, and 

my staff was able to secure the words. I am certainly not going to 

do it justice by singing. I hear a sigh of relief from staff and, I 

think, the parliamentarian and possibly the Chair. But let me read 

the words into the record because I think that these four church 

women embrace the sentiments of these spiritual words:

‘‘We are called to act with justice. We are called to love tenderly. We are called to serve one another. We walk humbly 

with God. We are called to be hope for the hopeless, so all hatred and blindness will be no more.’’

The Chair and I have discussed on several occasions what occurred during the 1980s in Central America and the need to ensure 

that it never happens again. I know the sincerity and the profound 

nature of that commitment by Dan Burton. I share that. The fact 

25

that these four young women, who were there to serve, were there 

to assist and to help the poor, the disadvantaged, and particularly 

victims of the violence that ravaged El Salvador during that time, 

really should inspire all of us, I would suggest, to rededicate ourselves in a living memorial to them and do everything that we can 

to see that that part of the world, that region of the world, is never 

revisited by that time of violence. 

I found a quote from a speech in a local paper that was given 

in 1953 by President Eisenhower, and I think he really encapsuled 

something important that we should all reflect on. These are his 

words, a great president and obviously a great leader in a time of 

war:

‘‘Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every 

rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who 

hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. 

This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending 

the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the 

hopes of its children.’’

I think that the words of that hymn and the admonition of President Eisenhower, General Eisenhower also, and the heroism of 

those four religious people who were there to serve is a reminder 

that we should invoke frequently as we make decisions, not just 

here in this Committee but as Members of Congress. 

So I am honored to co-sponsor this legislation, and I want to 

commend Jim McGovern for really making this a passion of his and 

bringing it to our attention. With that, I withdraw my reservation. 

Mr. BURTON. Thank you. I think you ought to remember that 

talk you gave, and I hope you give it on the Floor. I would like for 

all of the Members to hear it. I think it was very inspirational. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you, Dan. If I may, if I could just ask 

unanimous consent to introduce and submit for the record a statement by the Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr. Menendez. 

Mr. BURTON. Without objection, so ordered. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Menendez follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT MENENDEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE

IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Mr. Burton, thank you for holding this markup today and I would like to thank 

you and the authors of the other resolutions, including Representative Solis for their 

hard work on these issues. 

H.Con.Res.90

We are here today to mark up three resolutions, two of which deal with very similar issues of impunity, rule of law, and justice for those who have been killed. 

Earlier this week, Americans around the country said good bye and paid their respects to Rosa Parks, a pioneer for civil rights. So I think the words of another civil 

rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, are particularly potent today. Dr. King said, 

‘‘Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.’’

And that is exactly what we are dealing with today in the State of Chihuahua, 

Mexico and what we saw in the past in El Salvador. 

In Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, more than 370 young women have been 

abducted, sexually assaulted, and brutally murdered since 1993. Even more troubling are the disturbingly low rates of prosecution and conviction. 

According to human rights activists, only 25 percent of arrests have resulted in 

convictions, and at least 13 convictions were simply people used as ‘‘scapegoats’’. 

These people were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. They were at the 

mercy of a government that is under intense public pressure to solve a crime. 

26

These faulty convictions, which may be a result of torture, deny justice for both 

the victims and their families and help create a culture of impunity for the perpetrators. 

And let me be clear—this is not just Mexico’s problem. This is a hemispheric problem. So it is in our national interest and our national security interest to work together with the Mexican Government to resolve this issue. And that is exactly what 

this resolution says. 

I also understand that the Mexican government has taken a number of actions 

to try and deal with this issue. I look forward to working with my colleagues to update the resolution based on these changes as we move it forward. 

H.Res.458 on Murder of Churchwomen in El Salvador 

The second resolution I would like to briefly address deals with the brutal murder 

of four religious women conducting relief work in El Salvador, and the ongoing 

search for the truth about their murders. 

Sister Maura Clarke, Sister Ira Ford, Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan 

were in El Salvador to work on behalf of people with little money, food, or hope. 

They were brutally murdered by the Salvadoran armed forces in December of 1980. 

Here, too, justice was delayed for the victims and their families, slowed down by 

cover-ups and the lack of a serious investigation. 

This resolution reminds us all that we must remember these inspirational women, 

so that this history of violence against those who speak out against repression, 

against those who represent people with no voice, against those working to end poverty and suffering, will not be repeated in El Salvador, in Latin America, or in any 

country around the world. 

Resolution on Hurricane Victims in Central America 

Unfortunately, we are discussing the third resolution on natural disasters in Central America in the aftermath of Hurricane Beta, which slammed into Nicaragua 

this past weekend and caused even greater damage, flooding and forced evacuations 

in both Nicaragua and neighboring Honduras. 

The magnitude of the devastation caused during the hurricane season this year 

is staggering and has impacted almost every country in the region. Hundreds have 

died and thousands of Mexican and Central American families have lost everything. 

They are in need of food, clean water, clothes and shelter. 

Just as Mexico and the countries of Central America contributed to us during our 

time of need after Hurricane Katrina, we should now contribute to them. 

So I was pleased that the US government, particularly through USAID and the 

US Armed Forces, has responded quickly with both initial monetary and technical 

aid during this crisis. While I encourage these efforts we must be sure to provide 

relief and long-term reconstruction assistance to the affected communities. 

Many of us on the Subcommittee were already concerned about poverty and inequality in Central America and about proposed cuts to core development funding 

for Central America. I was pleased by the strong bipartisan support this Subcommittee showed when almost every Subcommittee Member joined me in sending 

a letter last week to the conferees on the Foreign Operations bill urging them to 

restore this funding. 

Personally, I am deeply saddened by the devastation and loss of life caused by 

massive flooding, landslides, and hurricanes in Guatemala and throughout Central 

America. I would like to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims and their families and friends, both in Central America and here at home. 

Conclusion 

Mr. Chairman, I started today by talking about Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, two leaders in the struggle for civil rights and justice. And all three 

of these resolutions demonstrate the need for the United States to follow their example and show strong leadership in our own hemisphere, whether we’re fighting 

injustice, protecting the innocent, or helping the needy. 

We must remember that, ‘‘Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.’’ We must guarantee justice for the victims of senseless murder, both today 

and in the past. We must provide a just response for the survivors of these terrible 

natural disasters. Ultimately, we must, as Dr. King said, guarantee that justice is 

upheld everywhere, so that it is not diminished anywhere. 

I urge my colleagues to support all three of these resolutions.

Mr. BURTON. That concludes the business of the Subcommittee, 

and the Committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:50 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 

(27)

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE HILDA L. SOLIS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

I would like to thank Chairman Burton and Ranking Member Menendez for your 

support of my bipartisan resolution and for bringing attention to the murders of 

women and girls in Ciudad Jua ́ rez, Mexico. To date, H.Con.Res. 90 has garnered 

133 cosponsors from both parties. 

Since 1993, more than 400 women and girls have been brutally murdered in Ciudad Jua ́ rez just minutes from the United States border. At least one third of these 

murders involved brutal rapes, and one recent victim of this violence was just 7 

years-old. These acts are more than just crimes—they are horrific violations of women’s rights and human rights. 

I have been working on this resolution and this issue for the past three years. 

I have led Congressional delegations to Ciudad Jua ́ rez and sent letters to government officials in the U.S. and Mexico. I also wrote letters earlier this year to the 

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support funding for 

a team of independent forensic experts who would identify the unknown victims’ remains and provide closure to their families. That team is currently working in 

Jua ́ rez and has already provided positive test results to families who had been unsure for years about the identity of murder victims who may have been their mother, their sister, or their wife. 

These murders have caused incredible pain for the families of victims. Their pain 

is compounded by the lack of response and botched investigations by their police 

and local government. Very few perpetrators of these crimes have been brought to 

justice. 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 end the violence. 

I am very pleased that the Subcommittee is focusing on this issue today and 

showing that the United States will not tolerate these terrible crimes against 

women. One of the many goals of this resolution is for the United States government to convey our serious concerns to the Mexican government about the lack of 

justice for these murders and work with them to finally end the violence. 

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. I look forward to working with 

Members of the International Relations Committee to move this bipartisan resolution forward in the legislative process and again, thank you for considering this resolution for markup today.

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