President Bush Should Pardon Jailed Border Agents

[peejay 327]

President Bush Should Quickly Pardon Jailed Border Agents

by U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)

Posted 11/05/2007 ET

Unjustly convicted Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are currently serving 11- and 12-year prison terms, respectively, for shooting and wounding an admitted illegal alien drug smuggler whom they interdicted while he was smuggling $1 million worth of drugs into the United States. Inexplicably, Western district of Texas U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton took the word of the drug smuggler and decided to throw the book at the Border Patrol agents, turning procedural mistakes into felonies.

Star Witness

The U.S. government sent investigators into Mexico to locate the drug smuggler, offer him immunity, free healthcare and unconditional border-crossing cards, in exchange for his testimony against the Border Patrol officers.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, prosecutors deliberately misled jurors by portraying the drug smuggler as a victim who needed money to pay for his sick mother’s medicine. They went so far as to have all evidence of a second drug-smuggling incident sealed, prohibiting the jury from ever knowing about the smuggler’s illicit activities while under immunity as the government’s star witness.

The questions surrounding this outrageous prosecution are many and the answers from the Bush Administration are few. For more than a year, members of Congress have repeatedly called on the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to review the troubling aspects of this case only to have our concerns dismissed with simple form letters. Members have publicly pleaded with the President to pardon the agents and his only response has been to reaffirm his relationship with his “dear friend” Johnny Sutton.

On October 17, 53 members sent a letter to President Bush’s nominee to be attorney general, Michael Mukasey, reiterating our desire for a fair and unbiased review of the Ramos and Compean prosecution. Given the close personal relationships among the prosecuting U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, former Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales and President Bush, past requests for such a review have been ignored.

Since January, Ramos and Compean have continued to spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, subject to conditions more restrictive than terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay. My communications director, Tara Setmayer, has personally documented these harsh conditions during her three visits to Mr. Ramos in two different prison facilities. According to Defense Department documents, detainees in Guantanamo have access to up to nine hours a day of outside recreation, covered picnic tables, soccer fields, volleyball courts, Arabic language TV programs, personal librarians, fast food, daily showers and Sunday ice cream socials, bought and paid for by American tax dollars. Not to mention detainees receive the same level of medical care as our U.S. military.

Ramos and Compean, on the other hand, are permitted out of their cells only one hour a day for recreation alone in a steel cage enclosure, one phone call for 15 minutes every 30 days, limited commissary, no access to TV, no library services, no special meal privileges and no daily showers. Is this justice in America?

Some would justify keeping Ramos and Compean in solitary confinement using the excuse of “protection” because they are, in fact, law enforcement officers in prison, which automatically makes them a target. However, when the government had the opportunity not to oppose their motion to remain free on bond pending appeal, the government took no position, which lead to imprisonment. Agent Ramos was subsequently beaten by five illegal alien gang members within eight days of reporting to prison. The assailants were never charged.

If it weren’t for the 924© gun charge (the unlawful discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence), which carries a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence, Ramos and Compean would have qualified for a minimum-security prison camp for non-violent offenders. Johnny Sutton decided these officers should face longer sentences than the average murderer, which is only eight years. Yet, the illegal alien drug smuggler walks free.

Act Now, Mr. President

The implications of this case reach far beyond Ramos and Compean. Protecting our borders is one of the most difficult and dangerous law enforcement jobs, and the threat of becoming the collateral damage of a failed immigration policy has had a terribly demoralizing effect on our men and women on the frontlines. They are risking their lives every day, outnumbered and outgunned, to protect the American people, while this President stands by idly, knowing that agents Ramos and Compean are languishing in prison for doing their jobs.

It is time for President Bush to act now and right this travesty of justice. Pardon Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean, immediately.

Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher represents California's 46th District

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23228

[JODO 2]

If Bush can pardon Libby, he certainly can pardon these two.

[NavarreMan 10]

If Bush can pardon Libby, he certainly can pardon these two.

[Drew and Tik 0]

I'm just waiting for the liberal squad to pipe in with how unjust the shooting was and these guys deserve more time

[pedroh 21]

I'm just waiting for the liberal squad to pipe in with how unjust the shooting was and these guys deserve more time

and noone has to wait for stupid conservative comments about how liberals 'are gonna react'

LOL

u know that's agains the TOS to bully dem peoplez

Edited November 5, 2007 by pedroh

[almaty 19]

lol...over generalization is always a sign of internal bias

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Pardon 'em

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Almost with Lucky Strike.

Ramos & Compean should be pardoned, released, reinstated, and compensated for quadruple backpay.

Sutton should be sentenced to quadruple COMBINED Ramos+Compean time--without parole!

[Drew and Tik 0]

I'm just waiting for the liberal squad to pipe in with how unjust the shooting was and these guys deserve more time

and noone has to wait for stupid conservative comments about how liberals 'are gonna react'

LOL

u know that's agains the TOS to bully dem peoplez

I'm not conservative at all though. For example, I'm pro-choice, think pot should be legalized, the rich should be taxed to hell, etc etc...but I'm not liberal either, I don't think authority is always in the wrong no matter what, society needs order and disagreeing with everything and having a naive pacifist world view isn't going to help anything Always up for a good dialectic discourse, but it helps when there is some objectivity and rationality from both sides and conservatives are just as bad (if not worse most of the time) as liberals.

[almaty 19]

the agents violated several serious departmental rules.,..pardon them but do not reinstate them..

According to the U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted the agents, the man they were chasing didn't actually have a gun, shooting him in the back violated his civil rights, the agents didn't know for a fact that he was a drug smuggler, and they broke Border Patrol rules about discharging their weapons and preserving a crime scene.

Even more broadly, Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof said, Ramos and Compean had no business chasing someone in the first place.

"It is a violation of Border Patrol regulations to go after someone who is fleeing," she said. "The Border Patrol pursuit policy prohibits the pursuit of someone."

Her arguments, along with testimony from other agents on the scene and that of the smuggler himself, swayed a jury. It was a crushing blow to Compean and Ramos, both of whom had pursued suspects along the border as a regular part of their job.

Edited November 6, 2007 by almaty

[Drew and Tik 0]

That is sad that border patrol agents aren't even allowed to chase the perpetrators, but aside from that moot point, I see your position. They should be pardoned, but they did break many department regulations. As far as being reinstated, I don't know, maybe going to jail for a short time is punishment enough for their disobedience, but I don't know the whole story, or what their exact department guidelines are. Good looking out though, if he didn't have a gun their justification for firing is very questionable at best.

[almaty 19]

good point brother..i know both were excellent officers prior to this incident....

[Ban Hammer 14,279]

That is sad that border patrol agents aren't even allowed to chase the perpetrators, but aside from that moot point, I see your position. They should be pardoned, but they did break many department regulations. As far as being reinstated, I don't know, maybe going to jail for a short time is punishment enough for their disobedience, but I don't know the whole story, or what their exact department guidelines are. Good looking out though, if he didn't have a gun their justification for firing is very questionable at best.

did they know for certain he didn't have a gun? he probably did but ditched it.

[Drew and Tik 0]

It's possible, like I said, they should investigate and not be totally closed to giving them their jobs back, with back pay maybe even. Legal technicalities aside, I think it's sad that two law enforcement officers are in jail for shooting a piece of ###### drug smuggler trying to destroy our country...go figure. The guy didn't even die, what's the problem?

[JODO 2]

No good deed goes unpunished.