Jones: Continues the Fight for Ramos and Compean

By Stanford Matthews Blog @ MoreWhat.com The following statement is from the office of Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) and I am quickly becoming a fan of this man. Not only has he taken up the cause against illegal immigration but he has been acting on behalf of Border Agents Ramos and Compean. It is a good press release. Take some time and give it a read. You might also consider contacting the Congressman's office to extend a thank you. Some tough poitical times make this Congerssman's efforts a larger than normal blast of fresh air. I've been fooled before but I think we have a winner here. Tuesday, June 26, 2007 JONES CONTINUES EFFORT FOR BORDER SECURITY Judiciary Committee Heeds Jones’ Call to Review Prosecution of Border Agents Washington, D.C. – Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) continued an effort to protect our nation’s borders when he was asked to speak today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on the issue of U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean. Jones applauded the Subcommittee’s inclusion of the agents’ case in its review of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Congressman Jones had requested that the Committee schedule a hearing to examine the prosecution of agents Ramos and Compean in a February 23rd letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers. The two men entered federal prison on January 17, 2007 to begin serving sentences of 11 and 12 years respectively for wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across the U.S. border in 2005. “Because delaying justice in this case undermines the U.S. Border Patrol’s critical mission of enforcing our immigration laws, I believe the House Judiciary Committee should investigate all matters involved in the prosecution and sentencing of these two men,” the letter stated. “I hope that this hearing will not only bring sunshine to the misapplication of mandatory minimum sentencing laws, but also to the fact that these agents never should have been prosecuted,” Congressman Jones said. The agents were each charged with violating 18 United States Code Section 924 (c), which carries a 10-year minimum mandatory sentence. The law, as enacted by Congress, requires a defendant to be indicted and convicted either of “using” or “carrying” a firearm during & in relation to the commission of a crime of violence … or “possessing” a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Because agents Ramos and Compean were carrying their guns in relation to their duties as U.S. Border Patrol agents, many have questioned the U.S. Attorney’s decision to apply the statute in their case. “The disturbing details of this case strongly call into question whether justice was served,” Jones said today. “I am hopeful that the House Judiciary Committee will take the time to thoroughly investigate the lack of fairness in the proceedings against these two men – including the prosecution’s efforts to seek out and offer immunity to a habitual illegal alien Mexican drug smuggler for his testimony against two law enforcement officers.” For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.