In late October 2019, I spoke with my sister, Maria, affectionately called “Rhonita” by those who were close to her. Our conversation was full of love, gratitude, and reflections on the joys of motherhood and how blessed we were to be raising our children and navigating this chapter of life together. I cherish that conversation with her, and I had no idea it would be my last.
Just days later, we received the devastating news: Rhonita’s car, found about 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, had been riddled with bullets and set on fire. Her four children — Howie, 12, Krystal, 10, and 8-month-old twins Titus and Tiana — were in that car. We learned that they had been slaughtered by Mexican drug cartels. Since then, it has been my family’s mission to do everything in our power to prevent others from experiencing the same pain and loss.
The Mexican drug cartels are ruthless, evil organizations with no regard for human life. Rhonita and her children weren’t just victims of senseless gunfire; they were burned alive. The cartels doused their car with gasoline and set it ablaze, leaving them to suffer an unimaginable horror in their final moments — hearing, seeing, and feeling each other die in the flames.
When President Donald Trump learned of this massacre, he boldly called for the recognition of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Without that designation, it is almost impossible for families like mine to seek justice, to hold these evildoers accountable for their atrocities. We were so grateful to him for standing up and speaking out. However, after he left office, our fight for justice seemed to vanish from the national conversation.
Trump’s reelection gave us hope, especially after he made clear on his first day in office that he would direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Last week, the Trump administration gave eight cartels this designation. I’m so grateful Trump has taken this important first step to call these criminals into account.
But the list does not include the cartel primarily responsible for the massacre of Rhonita and her children. The powerful Juarez cartel, and its armed wing La Linea, working closely in conjunction with the Sinaloa cartel, are directly responsible for the deaths of three beautiful mothers and six wonderful children whom I think about and fight for every day. My family now fears we may be left behind and forgotten again.
As Trump acknowledged in the aftermath of the tragedy, the cartel massacre in 2019 was an act of terrorism. We ask you, President Trump, to please remember our family and designate the Juarez Cartel, and its armed wing La Linea, as foreign terrorist organizations.
My family painstakingly collected what remained of Rhonita and her children, bones and ashes from the burned car, and carefully laid them out on white sheets in our home. Reconstructing their remains felt like a twisted jigsaw puzzle. It was a painful, agonizing act, but it was our only way of honoring them.
This was not grotesque; it was an act of love in the face of unfathomable loss. It was our final chance to care for them, to show them the respect and love they so richly deserved. Even now, I am haunted by the images of my sister and her children, those remains, constantly reminding me of the life that was violently taken from them. But despite the pain, we knew our fight for justice was far from over. We will not stop.
And so, today, I stand here again, pleading for action. This fight is not just about my family; it’s about every American victimized by the cartels.
RUBIO NAMES EIGHT LATIN CARTELS AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
We know Trump is serious about stopping cartel terrorism, and we are grateful for his efforts. For the State Department to fulfill the spirit of his executive order, it must be comprehensive and retroactive, so that families such as mine, and countless others, can finally seek justice and be compensated for the unimaginable suffering we’ve endured.
President Trump, you are the only leader with the strength, courage, and vision to change the horrific reality that these cartels impose on innocent lives. You are the only one who can keep your promise to make America safe again, ensure that no family is left behind, and send the unequivocal message to the cartels that murdering Americans never has been, and never will be, tolerated. We know you can designate the Juarez Cartel and La Linea to the foreign terrorist organizations list. We need you in this fight, and we are forever grateful that you have made this cause yours.
Adriana Jones is a sister to Maria “Rhonita” LeBaron and aunt to Howard Miller Jr., Krystal Miller, and Titus and Tiana Miller, all U.S. citizens and victims of the massacre carried out by the Juarez cartel on Nov. 4, 2019.