[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMUTATION FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS RAMOS AND COMPEAN

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as a final act by President Bush, 
border agents and political prisoners Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos 
were granted a commutation of their harsh prison sentence.
  Thanks to the work of many Members of Congress, some in the media, 
and, most importantly, the American people, this case would just not go 
away. The agents were relentlessly prosecuted for doing their job on 
the violent Texas-Mexico border when they tried to stop a drug smuggler 
from escaping after bringing in $750,000 worth of drugs. They received 
11 and 12 years in the penitentiary while the drug dealer was given 
immunity.
  But this case is not over. President Obama will be asked by some 
Members of Congress to grant a full pardon. Also, legislation will be 
introduced to make it clear to Federal judges and rogue prosecutors 
that the requirement to add additional prison time to a person that 
carries a weapon in a crime shall not apply to peace officers because 
they have to carry weapons. Also, justice will not occur until the 
American people find out why our government was on the wrong side of 
the border wars and prosecuted this case in the first place.
  And that's just the way it is.

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