Delia Quiroa Pleads With Cartels To End Disappearances

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Delia Quiroa, founder of the Colectivo Diez de Marzo (March 10 Collective) and the Union of Searching Mothers' Collectives in Tamaulipas, launched a proposal to the country's drug cartels to eradicate the disappearance of people.

Video translation is as follows:

This message goes out to the leaders of the Mexican cartels. Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel del Noreste, Zetas Vieja Escuela, Los Salazares, Tijuana Cartel, Ciudad Juárez Cartel, Beltrán Leyva Cartel, Familia Michoacána Cartel, and the Caballeros Templarios Cartel . The number of missing persons in our country is impossible to count. Our search collective hopes that our missing relatives are returned dead or alive and that this practice is once and for all eliminated in the national territory.

And that is why we need your help and collaboration. Today I, Delia, sister of Roberto, disappeared on March 10, 2014 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas have decided to speak to you directly through this document. So that if possible we can reach a peace agreement and eradicate the abductions and forced disappearance of people. You, leaders and members of narco trafficking were once seen as heroes of the people. The vast majority of you entered into the drug trafficking business because of hunger, discrimination, and a lack of opportunities.

Most of our political class in power is dedicated to manufacturing operations and diverting resources. Such as combating insecurity by allocating billions of pesos with no results. You can contribute to place an end to this. Stop the violence in order to prevent our rulers from continuing to steal under this excuse and blaming you. We all know that it was the government who taught the Mexican cartels the practice of forced disappearance by contracting out the 37 GAFES (Special Forces Airmobile Group) to the Gulf Cartel in the time of Osiel Cardenas.

On the other hand we have seen that your way of maintaining discipline and committing radical justice is that whoever messes with you pays with his life. And for as long as I can remember it has always been like that. Only before people didn’t disappear. You were like the devil. We all knew you existed. But nobody ever saw you guys. You operated in a silent and discreet way. Dedicated to just drug trafficking. We know that the government in its abuse of authority in raids and arrests forced you to show your firepower and combat skills. 

But the government has also used this exhibition to justify a war that shouldn’t exist in Mexico. What do you gain by killing each other when it’s well known that strength lies in unity. You and us both have something in common. We are abused by our government because both victims and defendants are forced to go through judicial procedures that are indeterminable torture. In addition to being very expensive. And those who suffer through all of this are our families.

All of us in Mexico worship our dead every November 2nd. It’s a world famous mourning. And in our case we have a missing relative and we can’t practice it. All we want is to know what happened to our missing relatives. And for those individuals that are missing, we want them to have access to a dignified burial, to honor their life in this world. For all of the above is what I came here for. To ask for a signature for the following pact.

I have called it a social pact to prevent and eradicate the disappearance of people in Mexico and to promote peace. All of us must assume our responsibility. Starting with prevention and taking care of our children at home. But today is the day when we must acknowledge this without blaming anyone. We must reconcile ourselves as a society and do something together to stop disappearances in our beloved Mexico.

So that we can avoid other countries who want to interfere in the arrests related to drug trafficking. Because the last thing we want is a war with the United States with the justification that the Mexican government does nothing about it. And that citizens are dying due to the drug trafficking into their country. It’s well known that those who consume drugs do it out of pleasure. So much so that addicts seek it out and pay for it.

And that is why I invite you to sign this pact that I mention. It’s open to be signed by whomever or whoever wants the disappearances of people to stop and for peace to exist in this country.

Delia Icela Quiroa  Borderland Beat Archives