Compean finally speaks from behind prison bars

By Chelsea Schilling


Imprisoned agent Jose Compean

Imprisoned Border Patrol agent Jose Compean is finally speaking out from behind bars, asking for America’s help in contacting President Bush for an 11th-hour pardon.

In a letter sent exclusively to WND from the Federal Correctional Institution in Ohio, Compean urged supporters to continue contacting the White House so he and fellow imprisoned agent Ignacio Ramos may reunite with their families before the president leaves office.

His letter says:

I want to thank all of you for your support. The amount of cards and letters I have received has been incredible.

Although our case received attention before we reported to prison, I truly believed people would forget all about us. Once we reported to prison, I was very happy to see how wrong I was. I have received thousands of letters from people all over the country. I have also received letters from other countries such as Italy and even a few from soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All of these letters have given me a lot of hope. Knowing that people have been praying for us has also given me a lot of strength. Your prayers have really helped me get through some tough times, especially after the appeals court ruled against us. Reading my mail that night made me feel much better.

I want to apologize to a lot of you. As I said earlier, I have received thousands of letters. When I first started getting them, I was able to respond to all of them. The number of letters increased and it is almost impossible to respond to every one. I wanted to, but I wasn’t able to keep up.

These last two years have been very hard for my family and me. This has affected us in so many different ways. We have lost two years of our lives that we will never get back.

One of the best memories I have is from my visit with Patty, my wife, and our kids last September. We were all sitting down, playing a board game. For the first time in a very long time, it felt like we were a family. It was great.

As Patty told WND, “God will not throw something at you that you cannot handle.”

This has made our family stronger, as well as brought Patty and I much closer. When I feel down or discouraged, I lean on my wife for support. She has done a great job at home with our kids. I am very proud of her, and I love her with all my heart.

Thank you again for everything you have done to help. Words are not enough to express how grateful my family and I are.

I ask that you continue to contact the White House on our behalf these last few days before President Bush leaves office. I also ask that you continue to pray for our families. Hopefully Ignacio and I will be home soon.

God bless you and your families.

Sincerely,

Jose A. Compean

Sign WND’s petition urging President Bush to free U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.

 


Chelsea Schilling

Chelsea Schilling is a news and commentary editor for WND and a proud U.S. Army veteran. She has a master's degree in public policy and a bachelor's degree in journalism. Schilling also worked as a news producer at USA Radio Network and as a news reporter for the Sacramento Union. Read more of Chelsea Schilling's articles here.