Congressional Record—House H375

January 15, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H375 But I just submit, Madam Speaker, if He’s confronted by one of our first re- stand. They could have been fired for this continues, and I keep being shut sponders, Border Security Agent Jose that, but they were not. They were out on getting this idea from the peo- Compean. Border Agent Jose Compean prosecuted in Federal court for numer- ple for the people by the people, and does his job, and he gives chase to this ous violations, mainly for shooting the the votes keep being that we can’t drug smuggler in the van. Aldrete, the drug smuggler. Of course, they both bring a bill like that to the floor for a smuggler, turns his van around, tries never knew they shot the drug smug- vote, it may be, come November of 2010 to head back to Mexico with his cancer gler until they were told by our gov- that the voters will say, we want to that he’s going to try to sell in the ernment. elect somebody that will do what needs United States. He abandons his vehicle. In any event, unbeknownst to us, the doing and not helping their cronies. He gets down in the river bed between trial gets postponed. We don’t know Oh, yes, we heard, well, the leader- Mexico and Texas in the Rio Grande why the trial is postponed. It’s not ship over here in the House has the Valley, and he has a fight with Jose tried right away, but it gets postponed. idea for this great TARP money. We’re Compean. The reason it got postponed, which we going to use it for infrastructure. Oh, Another border agent by the name of all learned much, much later, was that, yeah. Well, apparently the bill being Ignacio Ramos shows up and meets the while the drug smuggler was out on his proposed only has 5 or 6 percent for in- call for help to stop this drug trafficker get-out-of-jail-free card, thanks to our frastructure. into the United States. Meanwhile, a government, he was still smuggling You let people have their own money, fight ensues between the drug dealer drugs into the United States. you let them spend it where they need and Border Agent Compean, and In October of 2005, lo and behold, spending, the money will be in the Compean is left in the river bed, bleed- Aldrete brings another load of nar- economy, the economy will increase, ing, while the drug dealer runs back to cotics into the United States. At first, and everybody will be better off and Mexico. our government denied that they knew the people will have heard from us as Ignacio Ramos, border agent, sees anything about that, but I ended up re- they wanted. what’s taking place. He sees the drug ceiving a copy of the DEA report, f dealer, in his opinion, with a weapon, which showed specifically that Aldrete The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a keeps turning back like this, and he was bringing in drugs while he was out previous order of the House, the gen- fires his weapon. on this get-out-of-jail-free card. So the trial takes place after it is tleman from Ohio (Mr. KUCINICH) is rec- b 1515 ognized for 5 minutes. postponed. In March of 2006, these two And the drug dealer disappears. (Mr. KUCINICH addressed the House. border agents are tried. They are con- Unbeknownst to all of us, there was His remarks will appear hereafter in victed. The jury never knows that the another vehicle on the other side of the the Extensions of Remarks.) star witness—the government’s border, waiting to pick him up and bought-and-paid-for witness—brought f take him back to wherever he came in another load of drugs. The U.S. At- VACATING 5-MINUTE SPECIAL from. torney’s Office convinced that judge ORDER Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, from keeping that testimony from the The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without border agents, at the time they pick up jury. objection, the previous 5-minute Spe- the shells that are fired, they don’t im- Now, the main witness the govern- cial Order in favor of Mr. POE of Texas mediately report the events, and noth- ment had against the two Border Pa- is vacated. ing occurs until the following takes trol Agents was this witness, the drug There was no objection. place: smuggler who was given a deal to tes- The drug dealer goes back to Mexico. f tify. It turns out that he was wounded. He Now I ask you, Madam Speaker: If FURTHER MESSAGE FROM THE was shot in the buttocks. Without you were on a jury and you had to de- PRESIDENT being too graphic, the bullet went in cide if a person was telling the truth, A further message in writing from one cheek and came out the other wouldn’t you want to know that, while the President of the United States was cheek as if he were pointing his weapon they were waiting to testify after they communicated to the House by Ms. when he got shot. were given immunity, they were still Wanda Evans, one of his secretaries. But be that as it may, in some way, bringing drugs into the United States? f the U.S. Government gets involved. It Wouldn’t you want to know that to goes to Mexico. It finds the drug dealer judge whether or not this witness is LAST STAND FOR RAMOS AND and says, ‘‘Looky here. Have we got a telling you the truth or not? COMPEAN deal for you. All you’ve got to do is I think, probably, you would want to The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under come back to America and testify know that, and I think that’s probably the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- against those two border agents for a the reason the government kept that uary 6, 2009, the gentleman from Texas civil rights violation,’’ or whatever we testimony from the jury, because they (Mr. POE) is recognized for 60 minutes charged them with, ‘‘and we will treat didn’t want the jury to know the truth as the designee of the minority leader. you for your wounds, and we will give about their witness. Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, you a pass to go back and forth across In any event, the witness testifies. in the dusty, arid plains of West Texas, the border, and we will not prosecute The border agents are convicted; they where the tumbleweeds blow across the you for bringing drugs into the United are found guilty, and are sent to the prairies, there’s a small town called States.’’ Federal penitentiary for 11 and 12 Fabens. Fabens, Texas, a population of So, months later, that immunity deal years. Under Federal law, they will about 8,000, mostly lower-income indi- is struck, and the border trespasser— serve most of that time. viduals, but they’re doing what they smuggler—gets a deal, a backroom This case sort of disappeared from can to eke out an income out of the deal, a deal to testify. In my experience the radar until people started talking. land that they work. as a former judge and prosecutor, un- The news media even brought this case On February 17, 2005, almost 4 years fortunately, when you make a deal up. A reporter by the name of Sara ago, these events took place. A drug with a criminal, you usually get the Carter has been following this case dealer by the name of Aldrete Davila testimony you want. since the trial. Thanks to her and to came across from Mexico, which is six What happened was they were wait- other people in our national media, miles from Fabens, Texas, right here ing to bring these two border agents to this is still being discussed by not only on the map. He’s driving a van. He has trial on numerous charges, but remem- Members of Congress but by the public about $750,000 worth of narcotics in ber, all they did was fail to report the throughout the country. that van. And of course, he’s smuggling fact that they fired their weapons. Nor- Since I, really, have almost no life, I drugs into America; something that oc- mally, under Border Patrol policy, that read the 3,000-page transcript of the curs along the entire Texas/Mexico bor- is an administrative punishment. You trial, so I know what the jury heard. I der. get days off—5 days from what I under- read it. In September of 2006, long after VerDate Nov 24 2008 01:34 Jan 16, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K15JA7.094 H15JAPT1 rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HOUSE.

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