Former border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean have now been in prison in solitary confinement for more than a year. Now two congressmen are demanding that the Bureau of Prisons transfer those agents to a minimum security facility. Ramos and Compean are awaiting a decision from the appellate court, awaiting a decision on whether their convictions for shooting and wounding an illegal alien drug smuggler will be overturned.

Casey Wian has our report.

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CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former border patrol agent Ignacio Ramos is in this federal prison in Phoenix. Last year, he was brutally assaulted at another prison by inmates who learned he was one of two agents convicted of wounding an admitted drug smuggler who is an illegal alien and covering up the shooting.

Ramos has since been in solitary confinement for his own protection. Now, Congressman Duncan Hunter and Dana Rohrabacher say they've persuaded Bureau of Prisons Director Harley Lapin to meet with Ramos. They're demanding transfers to a minimum security facility for Ramos and fellow former agent Jose Compean.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-CA), HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: They are going to review the incarceration status and the prospects of moving our two guys to a lower security facility. If they're in a lower security facility where you don't have lots of drug dealers and hard-core criminals, then they would probably be allowed to be with the general population in that lower security environment.

WIAN: A Bureau of Prison spokesman would not even confirm the meeting took place saying, "I have no information on it nor would that be information we would provide."

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WIAN: Ramos and Compean are still waiting for a decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. At a hearing in December, two of three judges were critical of the federal government's prosecution of the two agents -- Lou.

DOBBS: Well, we've been critical throughout of the federal government in this prosecution. It is disgraceful and by the way, the cute little statements from the Bureau of Prisons they wouldn't provide that information. You know come on, get real. You're talking about information that should be public.

It is a matter of public interest. We need to really get a hold of some of these people in this government and tell them to start thinking a little bit, at least, about their responsibility to the public. Then there is, of course, the issue about why in the world the appellate court is taking this long. What are you hearing about that, Casey?

WIAN: Well, what I'm hearing from attorneys involved in the case, from lawmakers who have taken up the case of these two agents, they're saying they're taking it as a good sign that the appellate court is taking so long, perhaps they're consulting with other judges on the appellate court.

They want to make sure -- because this case has so much national interest, they want to make sure they do the right thing. They want to take it very seriously, so they're holding out that hope that this means that the...

DOBBS: Here's the really serious issue, this administration railroaded these two agents. It's a miscarriage of justice. This -- the prosecutor in this case not putting that information that their so-called victim was, in point of fact, a perpetrator even as the case was being brought against these agents. This is disgusting.

This is how careful you've got to be. Put those facts in front of -- oh. It is just ridiculous, the situation we find these agents in. And for this to be tolerated in this country, this is the land of the free sometimes. I mean it's ridiculous.

WIAN: Yes, and if the Bureau of Prisons actually grants the requests by these two congressmen to move these agents to a minimum security facility and give them a little bit better treatment, it will be the first time that the federal government has acted in any way in the interests of these two agents in three years, Lou.

DOBBS: This administration has a lot to answer for and you can certainly put the names Ramos and Compean at the head of that list. Thank you very much, we appreciate it -- Casey Wian. Time now for our poll: Do you believe imprisoned former Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean should be set free while they await the results of their appeal?

Yes or no. Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results here later in the broadcast.