[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 37 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           FORMER U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENTS RAMOS AND COMPEAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today is the 48th day since 
a great injustice took place in this country. On January 17 of 2007, 
two U.S. Border Patrol agents entered Federal prison to begin serving 
11- and 12-year sentences respectively.
  Agents Compean and Ramos were convicted last spring for shooting a 
Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across our 
border into Texas. The smuggler's van contained $1 million worth of 
marijuana.
  These agents never should have been prosecuted, but they are now 
handcuffed in Federal prison.
  The U.S. Attorney's Office granted immunity to the smuggler and 
prosecuted the agents almost exclusively on the testimony of an 
admitted drug smuggler who claimed he was unarmed. The drug smuggler 
received full medical care in El Paso, Texas, was permitted to return 
to Mexico, and is now suing the Border Patrol for $5 million for 
violating his civil rights.
  Mr. Speaker, he is not an American citizen. He is a criminal.
  Mr. Speaker, countless citizens and dozens of Members of Congress 
want to know why our government is on the wrong side of this case. Over 
the past 6 months, Members of Congress have repeatedly petitioned 
President Bush to pardon these agents.
  Since the agents' conviction, new details continue to emerge that 
call into question the prosecution and the outcome of this case. 
Recently, I sent a letter to the President detailing the troubling 
revelations that the prosecutors in this case may not have provided 
crucial evidence to the defense. This evidence includes a Homeland 
Security memo that states two supervisors at the scene knew about the 
shooting, but failed to report it. This contradicts the prosecution's 
claim that the agents knew they did something wrong and tried to cover 
up the shooting.
  Since then, Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, reports have also revealed 
that the Mexican drug smuggler brought a second load of 752 pounds of 
marijuana, but the prosecutors succeeded in keeping this information 
sealed from the jury and the public.
  Citizens across this country and Members of Congress want to know why 
does the U.S. Attorney's Office in western Texas choose to go after law 
enforcement officers while protecting illegal aliens who commit crimes 
in this great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, every day that these men remain behind bars is a 
travesty of justice. Because the President has so far refused to stand 
up for justice in this case, last month Agent Ramos was assaulted in 
prison.
  But, Mr. Speaker, the President has the power to immediately reverse 
this injustice by granting a pardon to these two innocent men.
  And, Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to say that the American 
people have rallied behind these two Border agents who are heroes in 
this country, not criminals. And it is time that this White House wake 
up and listen to the American people.

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