[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 27333-27334]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             FREE AT LAST--DEPUTY SHERIFF GILMER HERNANDEZ

  (Mr. POE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez is 1 of 3 
deputies in Edwards County, Texas. This county is the size of Delaware.
  While on duty at night recently in Rocksprings, Texas, an SUV ran a 
red light. Hernandez pulled the vehicle over. The vehicle sped off and 
then tried to run down Deputy Hernandez. He shot out the 2 tires in 
self-defense. It turned out the vehicle was smuggling 9 illegals. One 
illegal was injured by a ricochet bullet. The Sheriff's Department and 
the Texas Rangers investigated the shooting and cleared Hernandez. But 
the Mexican Government demanded prosecution by the U.S. Justice 
Department, and over a year later the U.S. Attorney's office prosecuted 
Hernandez for alleged civil rights violations. The 9 illegals and the 
human smuggler were allowed to stay in the United States. Hernandez was 
convicted and sent to prison. But yesterday he was released from prison 
and returned home to Rocksprings, Texas as

[[Page 27334]]

a hero. The community sided with Deputy Hernandez and resents the U.S. 
Government freeing the human smuggler and the illegals and prosecuting 
Hernandez for just doing his job. Yet another example of how it seems 
the U.S. government is on the wrong side of the border war and seems to 
be the puppet and whims of the Mexican Government.
  And that's just the way it is.

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