EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Relatives of Americans whose loved ones were murdered by drug cartels are uniting, with a message for residents and the U.S. government alike.
They have formed an organization to speak up for survivors and families of victims and to push for the U.S. government to designate more of these ruthless criminal groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
“Mexican cartels are criminal organizations that traffic in death and destruction, and they threaten the safety of families across the United States,” said AmFACT President Adriana Jones. The organization “is giving survivors and families a voice, so no one else has to endure the pain, terror, and heartbreak that we’ve lived through.”
Jones is the sister of Maria “Rhonita” LeBaron, who died inside her burning vehicle along with four of her children after members of La Linea unleashed a hail of gunfire near the communities of La Mora and Bavispe, Mexico, in November 2019.
The Mexican government arrested more than 20 individuals in connection with the shooting that claimed the lives of three women and six children. Prosecutors maintain it was a case of mistaken identity.
In 2022, a federal judge in North Dakota awarded $4.6 billion in damages to family members, which are yet to be collected from La Linea.
The criminal group – remnants of the old Juarez cartel – wasn’t on the list when the Trump administration designated eight Mexican and South American criminal groups as an FTO. That would expand the reach of U.S. officials when it comes to going after the assets of criminals and others who help them worldwide.
“We cannot bring our loved ones back. But we can speak up. We can fight for justice, not just for our families, but for every American harmed by cartel violence,” the organization said in a letter they sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We can weaken the cartels and their support networks. […] We are urging the State Department to expand its designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations to include the Juárez Cartel and its armed wing La Línea.”
The Jones, Langford and LeBaron families are being joined in the organization by relatives of slain Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.
“My brother was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered while protecting Americans from the horrors of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Myrna Camarena, sister of the slain agent. “Far too many Americans have suffered similar fates. That’s why AmFACT is uniting victims and survivors of Mexican cartel terrorism to demand justice and finally stop this decades-long strategy of horrific violence.”
Camarena’s widow Geneva “Mika” Camarena also is part of the organization.
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