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Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua
Honorable Governor José Reyes Baeza, Attorney General Patricia González, Honorable Héctor Murguía Lardizábal, Presidente Municipal de Ciudad Juárez, Director of the Forensic Laboratory Pedro Aragonéz, and all citizens of the State of Chihuahua.
I am very pleased be here today to witness another success by the State Government of Chihuahua in implementing a new criminal justice system that is transparent and fair, that promotes human rights, and that provides assistance to victims of crime while effectively prosecuting criminals along the border and throughout the state.
The new forensic laboratory that we are inaugurating today is undoubtedly one of the most important achievements that the State has had in its work to increase its citizens’ trust in their justice system. This laboratory will help resolve criminal cases and bring dangerous criminals to justice. We all hope, as well, that this laboratory will help in the investigations of the hundreds of unsolved cases of murder of women in the Ciudad Juárez area in the past several years. And we know that the trained investigators and forensic experts who will work here will provide prosecutors with undisputable evidence of suspects’ involvement in crimes, and help us avoid incarcerating innocent people.
The United States is committed to continue its support of the state of Chihuahua and other border states who demonstrate their desires to address border violence. We will work with Chihuahua to ensure a smooth transition from its criminal justice system of the past to a new, public, oral and adversarial system.
Crime in the U.S.-Mexico border region is a shared concern and responsibility between both our countries. The United States and Mexico are working to improve border security and law enforcement efforts— but as I have said very recently, much more must be done.
Just yesterday, in Nuevo Laredo, our Mission sent a large, high-level delegation of law enforcement officers and Embassy officials to meet with their Mexican counterpart to make progress on ending the cycle of violence that currently plagues our communities. During the meeting, we asked our Mexican colleagues for several immediate responses to the recent upsurge in violence in our border region, including the return of federal forces in significant numbers to Nuevo Laredo and action on several arrest requests that our government has made in the past.
We also offered every possible support to Mexico to help apprehend those who murder law enforcement, judicial or investigative officers here because of their efforts to enforce the law in Mexico. Too many brave and respected Mexican law enforcement officials have lost their lives because of their commitment to their duty of protecting innocent people.
Uniting forces between our two countries is crucial if we are to send a clear message to all criminals—drug traffickers, murderers and sexual exploiters of women and children-- that we will not tolerate violence on either side of our border. We are facing determined and inhumane criminals who know no national borders … together we must fight back with all our might to reclaim our communities from the drug-lords and armed gangs who have brought near-lawlessness to some parts of our border region.
Cooperation between the United States and the government of Chihuahua in recent years has been excellent. For example, in addition to supporting the development of this forensics laboratory, our government also worked with Governor Baeza and his team to sign an agreement between the government of the State of Chihuahua and the Government of the State of New Mexico in May 2006 which permits Mexican forensics experts to learn from their American peers in the New Mexican Attorney General’s and Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Also, since 2004, the State of Chihuahua and the U.S. government have supported a variety of justice reform activities, such as (i) study tours to South America for Chihuahuan legislators and criminal justice officials, (ii) training for judges, prosecutors, investigative police and public defenders; and (iii) academic activities with the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua and the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez on code drafting, comparative adversarial justice systems, and clinical courses.
Governor, none of these activities would have been possible without your leadership and the leadership of your Attorney General, Patricia González. You are not only committed to providing citizens of Chihuahua with a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory, but also with a transparent and efficient criminal justice system.
I commend you, Governor, and your team on your courage to take on the critically important challenges to combating crime here in Chihuahua. As a friend and neighbor, we owe it to you and Chihuahua to offer any and all assistance we can in tackling problems that know no borders. You have our support where and when you need it.
May God bless both our great countries.
Thank you, and congratulations again.
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