LULAC DEMANDS AN FBI INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF FT. HOOD LATINA ARMY PRIVATE WHOSE FAMILY SAYS WAS THE TARGET OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Credit: Alejandra Ruiz Zarco
March 16, 2023
Contact: David Cruz - (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org
Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization To Hold Press Conference Friday at the Same Texas Military Base Where Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen Was Killed in 2020
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued a statement following the death of 21-year-old Army Pvt. Ana Basaldua Ruiz was found dead Monday in her quarters at Ft. Hood, Texas. Her parents stated that their daughter had complained about repeated sexual harassment by other servicemembers, including one of her immediate superiors. The Army says it is investigating the cause of death.
Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President
"LULAC sends heartfelt condolences to the Basaldua Ruiz family for the loss of this young Latina who held so much promise and should not have been subjected to the treatment her parents have reported. We have already informed the Army that LULAC is demanding action and will not stand down until all the truth emerges about what happened. Also, we are asking the FBI to conduct an outside investigation into this case, independent of the US Army. For more than three years since the death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, LULAC has worked continuously to bring about change for our servicemembers and protect them from sexual harassment. We are very disappointed and angry that the pattern of mistreatment and abuse is still pervasive at Ft. Hood, and we are demanding an immediate, full, and transparent investigation. Those responsible for the death of Basaldua Ruiz must be accountable for their actions, and LULAC again reiterates to the Army that its recruitment will suffer unless Latino servicemembers can be assured safety within their ranks."
Analuisa Tapia, LULAC District Director, Killeen, Texas
"This latest death is an all-too-familiar reminder of what happened to Vanessa Guillen, and we are devastated to once again be standing here calling for the Army to do its job. There can be no reason why soldiers are still subjected to the sexual harassment Pvt. Basaldua Ruiz told her parents what she was going through at Ft. Hood. Obviously, a cancer here has yet to be rooted out, and we will not rest until it is. We are demanding a congressional hearing.”
Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas LULAC State Director
"The Army cannot defend the indefensible. If Pvt. Basaldua Ruiz was telling her parents she was being sexually harassed, was base command being informed and what was being done about it? If command is not being told, why not and how can that communication be improved? Again, our community is paying the price, and we cannot support sending our sons and daughters into harm's way when the Army has had three years to clean up its act."
LULAC has scheduled a press conference for Friday, March 17, 2023, at 10 AM at Ft. Hood Main Gate. For more details, contact David Cruz at 818 689-9991.
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