[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  64TH DAY OF INCARCERATION FOR 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 64th day of 
incarceration for two U.S. Border Patrol agents. Agents Ramos and 
Compean were convicted last spring for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler 
who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across our border into Texas.
  These agents never should have been sent to prison. There are 
legitimate legal questions about how this prosecution was initiated and 
how the prosecutor's office proceeded in this case. To prosecute the 
agents, the U.S. Attorney's Office granted immunity to a known drug 
smuggler. While the Mexican drug smuggler waited to testify against our 
agents, DEA reports confirmed that he brought a second load of 
marijuana, 752 pounds, into the United States. But this information was 
kept from the jury and the public.
  Over the past 8 months, dozens of Members of Congress and thousands 
of American citizens have asked President Bush to pardon these agents. 
In December of 2006, the President granted pardons to 16 criminals, 
including 6 who were convicted of drug crimes, but he would not pardon 
Agents Ramos and Compean.
  The difference, Mr. President, is that these people you pardoned were 
criminals, and these two Border Patrol agents are Hispanic Americans 
who are heroes, heroes who were doing their job to protect our borders. 
Mr. President, it is not too late for you to use your authority to 
pardon these two men.
  Not only are there concerns about the U.S. attorney's prosecution of 
these two border agents, but the same prosecutor's office in western 
Texas has just persecuted another law enforcement officer.
  Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez was sentenced this week to a year in 
jail for shooting at a vehicle that was transporting illegal aliens. 
Hernandez stopped the car for running a red light and asked the driver 
to step out of the car, but the driver pulled forward to flee and 
turned the car toward the deputy. The deputy fired shots at the car's 
tires to protect himself.
  Hernandez was charged for violating the civil rights of one of the 
passengers, an illegal Mexican national who was struck in the lip by 
fragments of a bullet or other metal. None of the vehicle's occupants 
were charged.
  Mr. Speaker, there are many questions and concerns about the 
prosecutor's office that need to be answered. I want to thank Chairman 
John Conyers for considering my request and those of other Members of 
Congress for a hearing on the overzealous prosecution of these law 
enforcement officers.

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