[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  NO PICNIC FOR IMPRISONED 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. Madam Speaker, today many Members of 
Congress and their families will attend the Congressional Picnic hosted 
by President and Mrs. Bush at the White House.
  However, for two imprisoned Border Patrol agents, this day will not 
be a picnic. Today is day 505 of a terrible injustice in America. 
Agents Compean and Ramos have been in Federal prison in solitary 
confinement since January 7 of 2007.
  These two U.S. Border Patrol agents were convicted in March of 2006 
for wounding an illegal alien drug smuggler from Mexico. The smuggler 
brought $1 million worth of marijuana across our border into Texas, and 
the drug smuggler was given immunity by the Federal prosecutor to 
testify against the two border agents. Since then, the prosecutor's 
star witness, the Mexican drug smuggler, returned to America with more 
illegal drugs. He has now been arrested and has pled guilty to four 
felony counts for smuggling drugs.
  Ramos and Compean were doing their job to protect the border and to 
protect the American citizens. Yet, through a questionable prosecution, 
the agents were convicted and sentenced to 11 and 12 years in prison.
  Many of us in Congress have called on the White House to pardon these 
two border agents. They are heroes, yet the administration has done 
nothing to reverse this injustice.
  Those of us who have been speaking out on behalf of these agents for 
more than a year are waiting on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 
in New Orleans to render its decision in this case. During an oral 
argument for their appeal on December 3 of 2007, one of the judges 
considering the case, Judge E. Grady Jolly said, and I quote the judge, 
``It does seem to me that the government overreacted here. For some 
reason, this one got out of hand.''
  Madam Speaker, I hope that those attending The White House 
Congressional Picnic have a wonderful time this evening. I'm sure that 
Agents Compean and Ramos would also like to be home having a picnic 
with their family.
  Madam Speaker, this injustice needs to be corrected. I hope that the 
American people will continue to care about Compean and Ramos, to let 
the White House know that these men should be free.
  It is my hope and prayer that one day soon, this injustice will be 
corrected and these two heroes will be home with their families, maybe 
to have a picnic.

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