Former U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ramos And Compean

Floor Speech

FORMER U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENTS RAMOS AND COMPEAN -- (House of Representatives - May 01, 2007)

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.

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.

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