REPORTER

Diana
Washington Valdez

A high-ranking Mexican federal law enforcement official today met with relatives of men and women who were reported missing under suspicious circumstances in Juarez and other cities in the state of Chihuahua.

Salomon Baltazar, with the Mexican Federal Attorney General's Office (PGR), had agreed to come to El Paso because many relatives of the disappeared had fled Mexico because of threats they received for trying to investigate the disappearances.

Baltazar stated during a brief news conference at Las Americas, an immigrant legal advocacy center, that federal and state authorities in Mexico are committed to getting to the bottom of these missing persons cases.

Baltazar, who is in charge of the division that investigates missing people, said he could not discuss specific cases. Members of Mexicanos en Exilio (Mexicans in Exile) said some of the missing cases date back to 2009.

All of the people were reported missing during the years of elevated drug violence attributed to competing drug cartels, which also brought large contingents of Mexican soldiers and federal agents, who were deployed to border to curb the violence.

Cipriana Jurado, a member of the Mexicans in Exile who received asylum in the U.S., said the families with missing relatives found it difficult to impossible to follow up with the police reports because of the threats against them.

"In several of the cases that were brought to the attention of the Mexican officials, some of the missing persons were last seen in the custody of soldiers or state police," Jurado said.

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"There's a lot of fear in pursuing these investigations, but the families vowed to continue their quest for justice, even it they have to do it from this side of the border."

Mexicanos en Exilio, Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres (Women's Center for Human Rights) and El Paso lawyer Carlos Spector were credited with helping to bring about the meeting, which enabled witnesses to provide information that will be useful in the investigations.

Luz Estela "Lucha" Castro and Gabino Gomez, two prominent human rights activists from Chihuahua City, took part in the day-long sessions with Baltazar and the families. Because of the threats against the families, Baltazar implored that their names not be made public.

Castro, a lawyer and director of the Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres (CEDEHM), said Baltazar committed to assisting with efforts to identify the human remains discovered in clandestine graves in Chihuahua that could correspond to the missing people, and to other measures to advance the investigations.

Gomez, also with the CEDEHM, said it is too soon to tell whether a recent clandestine grave found about 100 miles south of Juarez contained the remains of several relatives who went missing about five years ago.

"As the media has reported, federal and state investigator found the remains near Ejido Benito Juarez, and are trying to identify them," Gomez said.

According to Norte Digital, authorities acted on a tip, officers under Baltazar's command found the remains and transported them to Mexico City for further processing.

"There are many clandestine graves in Mexico," Baltazar said.

Mexican federal officials had reported that about 25,000 people, including minors, were reported missing during President Felipe Calderon's administration.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.