[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10861]
[From the U.S. 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 105th day 
since a great injustice took place in this country. On January 17 of 
2007, two U.S. Border agents entered Federal prison to began serving 
11-year 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 borders into Texas.
  These agents never should have been prosecuted; yet, the U.S. 
Attorney's Office prosecuted the agents and granted immunity to the 
drug smuggler. The illegal drug smuggler, who received full medical 
care in El Paso, Texas, was permitted to return to Mexico and is suing 
the Border Patrol for $5 million for violating his civil rights. Mr. 
Speaker, that is a joke. He is not an American citizen, he is a 
criminal.
  The same U.S. Attorney's Office in Western Texas also prosecuted 
another law enforcement officer, Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez, who 
was doing his job to protect the American people.

                              {time}  1815

  This makes no sense. Mr. Speaker, citizens across this country, and 
many of us in Congress want to know why does a Federal prosecutor in 
Western Texas choose to go after law enforcement officers while 
protecting illegal aliens who commit crimes?
  The American people have not forgotten Agents Ramos and Compean, who 
should have been commended instead of indicted. I am encouraging 
citizens across this Nation to continue calling the White House and ask 
the President to use his authority to immediately pardon these two 
heroes.
  Many of us in Congress are concerned about the Federal prosecutor in 
this case and the justification for the criminal charges brought 
against these agents.
  Mr. Speaker, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy has already 
approved Senator Diane Feinstein's request for an investigation of this 
case. And in recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, 
Attorney General Gonzalez promised to fully cooperate with an oversight 
hearing on the agents' case.
  I want to thank Mr. Greg Barnes on the staff of the House Judiciary 
Committee for taking time last week, at my request, to meet with Mrs. 
Monica Ramos, the wife of Agent Ramos and his father, her father-in-
law, Mr. Joe Loya.
  I also appreciate that Chairman John Conyers took time to say hello 
to Ms. Ramos and her father.
  Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged that the House Judiciary Committee is 
seriously looking at holding hearings to investigate the injustice 
committed against these border agents. And that is why it is so 
important, Mr. Speaker, that the House look seriously at what happened 
to these men, who should be rewarded for trying to protect the American 
people, not serving time in a Federal prison.
  Mr. CONYERS. Will the gentleman from North Carolina yield to me?
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Yes, sir, I'd be delighted to yield to 
the chairman.
  Mr. CONYERS. First of all, I wanted to congratulate the gentleman on 
the persistence and integrity with which he has followed this matter.
  I have had this brought to my attention. I did have an opportunity to 
meet with some of the family, and I want to assure you that we are 
coordinating our activities with the Senate Judiciary Committee with 
those of my House Judiciary Committee; and I promise to keep you fully 
apprised as this matter moves forward.
  I congratulate you, not just for what you have done for these two 
officers, but what you have done for law enforcement officers across 
this country. It's important that the kinds of concerns you have raised 
are known to all of our men and women who carry badges and weapons 
defending us, not just at borders, but in every State in the Union.
  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. I thank the chairman. You are very 
generous, and thank you so much.

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