A number of convicted criminals have turned to K Street for help in gaining a last-minute pardon from President Bush before he exits the White House in January.

Prominent law firms, think tanks and grassroots movements have gotten behind those who are seeking relief from the justice system. They have lobbied on legislation, put together petitions with thousands of signatures and rallied members of Congress to create a groundswell of support for those in need of clemency.

But those with the most support may be Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, two U.S. Border Patrol agents imprisoned after shooting a Mexican drug smuggler during a routine border stop three years ago.

“We saw an obvious injustice when border security is a vital issue in this country,” said Jeffrey Mazzella. “It deterred Border Patrol agents from fully doing their job.”

Mazzella is president of the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF), a nonprofit group that has taken a number of tough positions on illegal immigration. CFIF has become one of many organizations to build public support outside of Washington for pardoning Compean and Ramos, who are serving 11- and 12-year sentences, respectively.

Last year, when the CFIF lobbied for a congressional resolution that called for Bush to pardon the two agents, Mazzella and others gathered as many co-sponsors as possible for the bill and also asked lawmakers to write letters to the president supporting a pardon.

In addition, CFIF has sent more than a million faxes and letters to the White House calling for a presidential pardon. Mazzella said more than 200,000 letters in support of Compean and Ramos have yet to be delivered.

Other organizations, such as U.S. Border Control, another nonprofit group for tough reforms of U.S. immigration laws, have also campaigned for Compean and Ramos.

“They are poster boys for border patrol. The real crimes are that they did their job,” said Edward Nelson, U.S. Border Control’s chairman.

Nelson estimates his group has directed tens of thousands of e-mails on a monthly basis to the White House asking for pardons of Compean and Ramos. In addition, the organization has filed amicus briefs and appeals in court on the agents’ behalf. Lawmakers such as Reps. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas) have signed onto some of those court actions.

Despite Congress’s assertiveness on the issue, Capitol Hill has little power when it comes to granting a pardon, which is solely the purview of the president.

“Congress cannot limit the president’s power, but it can certainly express its views for whatever influence that may have,” said Margaret Colgate Love, a former U.S. pardon attorney who now represents clients seeking pardons.

For other, less well-known clients, lobbyists have turned to lawmakers to garner support for their clients in seeking clemency from Bush.