“This case has gone on way too long,” said Simpson. “Agents Ramos and Compean deserve to be home with their families. It is clear that their sentences were unjustified based on Congressional Hearings and testimony provided to Congress.”

 

On October 19, 2006, Agents Ramos and Compean were convicted and sentenced to 11 and 12 years in federal prison for wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across the U.S. border last year.  The two agents were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the smuggler was granted immunity to testify against the agents. 

 

In June, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on this case. As a result, the Chairman of the Subcommittee, Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA) introduced bipartisan legislation to commute the agents’ sentence.

 

Currently, the case is on appeal before the Fifth Circuit Court of Texas. Judges on the Panel hearing the case have criticized prosecutors over the charges and have said that prosecutors overreacted. Another Judge questioned the prosecution’s attempts to block the jury from hearing evidence of another drug trafficking incident involving the same smuggler that occurred after the first incident, but before trial. There are also questions about the prosecution’s immunity deal with the drug smuggler.

 

“These Agents were serving and protecting their nation and in return, they were placed in the same jail with the criminals they’ve arrested. This action needs to be corrected immediately,” said Simpson. “Requesting a pardon is an issue I take very seriously, I hope that the President takes swift action and grants one to Agents Ramos and Compean.”