tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33323260610170728692024-03-06T21:20:58.314-08:00Ramos-CompeanEdward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-38933899693990818162009-01-21T19:03:00.001-08:002009-01-21T19:04:19.261-08:00Tancredo, Cornym, Rorabacher thrilled with commutation of border agents’ sentences<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvBIKXyYWu8hJdkR3zLcgzTM6fEa8hPHC04vRhW8GcsFEXA-wL8I6XfC-2_VUFDiLYSVpnMofqDXxuPTacz0FhRWRBMgu1P0lzJVPeIEk_v2g7K7i2BOtOK0kAzy0OEd3pt-i-crPi0o/s1600-h/ramoscompean.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvBIKXyYWu8hJdkR3zLcgzTM6fEa8hPHC04vRhW8GcsFEXA-wL8I6XfC-2_VUFDiLYSVpnMofqDXxuPTacz0FhRWRBMgu1P0lzJVPeIEk_v2g7K7i2BOtOK0kAzy0OEd3pt-i-crPi0o/s320/ramoscompean.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293948514734769202" /></a>Tom Tancredo, who until this month was a Colorado congressman, says he's ecstatic over President Bush's decision to commute the sentences of two former Border Patrol Agents on his last day in office.<br /><br />By the end of March, Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos will finally get to be home with their families. More than 80 members of Congress had signed a petition asking for their release and urged the president to free the men. Tancredo was one of the lawmakers who spearheaded the release effort, and has since formed the Rocky Mountain Foundation to continue to pursue a border enforcement agenda. <br /><br />"I am ecstatic. I'm just glad as I can possibly be -- and I thank God," Tancredo said. He will continue to work to get the two men a full pardon so they can return to their jobs, “but it is more important that they are finally getting out of jail.” <br /><br />Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said “I am extremely pleased the president answered my plea, and that of like-minded colleagues and millions of Texans and Americans, in commuting the sentences of Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean. This case cried out for a commutation and the president has now acted to right the wrongs of their excessive and unjust sentences.”<br /><br />Said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California: “Our prayers have been answered! This is not just a day of celebration for the families but it is a victory for all Americans. The hearts of all patriotic Americans are filled with joy at the announcement that our brave border defenders, Ramos and Compean, will be freed from unjust captivity. “Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-91761625864093804752009-01-19T13:46:00.000-08:002009-01-19T13:48:04.668-08:00Bush finally commutes sentences of Ramos and Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN6jJh7spr0JzwbUy_KtjvRzRItXD1QrFH-s9J0dT1xvRYzsmClv51OFeAWEYP0qHqcS53TujVAzNEimmYehdxJxZ1NVg3byaljsrdr9M8MyoB_dvRQ-rwLfk8Bg9gQ3Ogu_uv30Wpr8/s1600-h/agents.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN6jJh7spr0JzwbUy_KtjvRzRItXD1QrFH-s9J0dT1xvRYzsmClv51OFeAWEYP0qHqcS53TujVAzNEimmYehdxJxZ1NVg3byaljsrdr9M8MyoB_dvRQ-rwLfk8Bg9gQ3Ogu_uv30Wpr8/s320/agents.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293124822437630562" /></a>With less than 24 hours left in his presidency, George W. Bush at last granted clemency to two former Border Patrol agents, Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. The two had received lengthy prison sentences after being convicted of shooting a fleeing Mexican drug dealer.<br /><br />Clemency for the two former agents was a major goal of USBC and attracted considerable support among all advocates of tougher border security, who had repeatedly argued that the agents were just doing their jobs. <br /><br />A large number of senators and representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, had supported clemency for the two men. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2007 emphasized that the drug dealer had crossed the United States-Mexican border illegally and drove a van containing 743 pounds of marijuana worth almost $1 million.<br /><br />The commutation granted by President Bush means the prison sentences of Ramos and Compean, both from El Paso, Texas, will expire on March 20, but leaves intact the three years of post-imprisonment probation and fines of $2,000 each. Both had been in prison since early 2007. Much of that time was spent in solitary confinement, which was said necessary to protect the former law enforcement agents from other inmates. <br /><br />Bush commuted the sentences before he received a recommendation from the Justice Department's pardon attorney. "The Office of the Pardon Attorney was still in the process of reviewing the clemency requests from Compean and Ramos at the time these commutations were granted," a Justice official says.<br /><br />In fact, the Justice Department was still reviewing the applications and had not made a recommendation to the White House.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-68973339413708024162009-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:002009-01-05T18:00:40.940-08:00Tancredo’s biggest regret - the continuing imprisonment of Ramos and Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTFZLL-vowamG_lzC2yR4AGsOGvda833S3oqDLjyQ4rce9zTRaiJ7njAvXd_STJTy27MvsplZuz0TOXptD9D-hwBcgzBLnvdz79pOhcmWRqaVPW-Ch02783PAkB7osdaoHploGiL5LKE/s1600-h/n_tucker_tancredo_061115+.hmedium.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTFZLL-vowamG_lzC2yR4AGsOGvda833S3oqDLjyQ4rce9zTRaiJ7njAvXd_STJTy27MvsplZuz0TOXptD9D-hwBcgzBLnvdz79pOhcmWRqaVPW-Ch02783PAkB7osdaoHploGiL5LKE/s320/n_tucker_tancredo_061115+.hmedium.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287994579060385346" /></a>By repeatedly making provocative statements during his 10 years in Congress, Tom Tancredo believes he spurred activism and helped block legislation that would have allowed illegal immigrants to eventually gain legal status.<br /><br />"I have a sense of accomplishment. It makes me feel good," said the Colorado Congressman. <br /><br />Tancredo leaves office this month. He plans to consult and to continue work on immigration issues and to spend time with his grandchildren.<br /><br />Tancredo said he regrets not succeeding in his effort to help win release of U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who are serving time in prison for shooting and wounding a drug smuggler.<br /><br />"I think about those guys in prison, and I'm just sick at heart," Tancredo said. "I've done everything I can."<br /><br />When he left Capitol Hill for the last time in late November, Tancredo gathered with his staff. As they exchanged goodbyes, Tancredo offered his version of high praise.<br /><br />"We really started something," Tancredo said.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-38169936877581043552008-12-29T03:58:00.000-08:002008-12-29T04:00:52.018-08:00Pennsylvania congressman joins those calling for pardon for Ramos, Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJgEvd18aQMXfg7-mb8oq1_y__5lt-W4MdDr2Om1XgfCdhSNZ14k0gvvafv6vQn_UdSS1Ti3pOxcfvy0hKa6q5f_M9QAHoTHS6chhvI09Mzt2YH1RN8PGfcDqHMUg0UbOuFxAxYut8UY/s1600-h/ray-independence-hall-300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJgEvd18aQMXfg7-mb8oq1_y__5lt-W4MdDr2Om1XgfCdhSNZ14k0gvvafv6vQn_UdSS1Ti3pOxcfvy0hKa6q5f_M9QAHoTHS6chhvI09Mzt2YH1RN8PGfcDqHMUg0UbOuFxAxYut8UY/s320/ray-independence-hall-300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285180700757975042" /></a>U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania, has added his voice to those calling on President Bush to pardon two former border agents convicted of shooting an unarmed drug smuggler who was trying to escape. Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are serving more than 10 years each for shooting Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the buttocks while he was fleeing from an abandoned van loaded with 750 pounds of marijuana. <br /><br />The men argued that they thought Davila, a Mexican, was armed. They were convicted two years ago in federal court in Texas of assault, civil rights violations and other charges. Davila later pleaded guilty to smuggling following another incident and also was sentenced to 10 years in prison. <br /><br /> Dent asked Bush to review their cases and ''seriously consider'' a pardon. ''These agents were acting in fulfillment of their duty and responsibility to protect our borders and enforce the law and they have been unjustly punished for their actions. ''This case has not only undermined the trust and confidence of our Border Patrol, but it has also raised questions about the discretion and decisions of federal prosecutors.'' <br /><br />You can help build pressure for pardoning the two by sending an email alert demanding a pardon. Visit www.usbc.org and go to the Legislation Action Center or send an email directly to the President at president@whitehouse.gov.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-42984139041174421512008-12-24T05:50:00.000-08:002008-12-24T05:54:04.018-08:00Ramos-Compean treatment has border agents hesitating to fire<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZK5rkT7hM7TAsgqqcwp0Ra_nUM7OWOK4E2eMBGlBpoz3dhj4FRh-t88SPujHoY-Cf5maE77TMzM_VnSafh5IY_mR807_sJwNDWemjNQxPnPAOY_Maw0pTyxUxJ_ZiUwy1_Eeh9fTIhw/s1600-h/121805_patroling.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZK5rkT7hM7TAsgqqcwp0Ra_nUM7OWOK4E2eMBGlBpoz3dhj4FRh-t88SPujHoY-Cf5maE77TMzM_VnSafh5IY_mR807_sJwNDWemjNQxPnPAOY_Maw0pTyxUxJ_ZiUwy1_Eeh9fTIhw/s200/121805_patroling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283354484234360546" /></a>On December 1 south of Tucson, Arizona, drug smugglers unloaded $1 million in drugs across the U.S. border and sprayed bullets at U.S. Border Patrol agents with automatic weapons. The agents did not return fire. They fear losing their jobs or ending up behind bars like agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. <br /><br />Former decorated border agents, Ramos and Compean are serving lengthy prison sentences for shooting an illegal alien drug dealer while he smuggled 750 pounds of marijuana across the border. They were convicted of assault, discharge of a weapon in the commission of a crime of violence and deprivation of civil rights after the drug dealer was given immunity from prosecution.<br /><br />On December 22 President Bush issued 19 pardons and commuted one sentence, but has issued none as yet for Ramos and Compean. Lawmakers and many others have asked Bush to commute their prison sentences. Bush will leave office January 20.<br /><br />'Any kind of shooting toward Mexican territory is rejected by the Mexican government,' Mexican Consul General Remedios Gómez Arnau warned Border Patrol agents.<br /><br />After this month's incident, an anonymous officer said that agents often fear defending themselves because shooting back could mean prison time – just as it did for Ramos and Compean. <br /><br />'These men are still in prison for doing what many of us think was just doing their jobs as Border Patrol agents,' he said.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-29404142686019112972008-11-24T19:16:00.000-08:002008-11-24T19:35:29.005-08:00Lawmakers step up pressure on Bush for border agents’ clemency<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw7kEZ96pOksbCovGsisGDKG6JIEvaeAEN3TpRpHMS7zqbScbl2thibJh9N7F8RGgnbx6AhRmNuRTkPgl26cl9e2FjF7OtCsYOKHkrutNNUF-P30rAw9CZhyphenhyphenvoajLGMfg8EjrsOow5hs/s1600-h/100_4466.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw7kEZ96pOksbCovGsisGDKG6JIEvaeAEN3TpRpHMS7zqbScbl2thibJh9N7F8RGgnbx6AhRmNuRTkPgl26cl9e2FjF7OtCsYOKHkrutNNUF-P30rAw9CZhyphenhyphenvoajLGMfg8EjrsOow5hs/s200/100_4466.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272431270351030818" /></a>As they leave office, it's a long-standing tradition for presidents to offer clemency. Lawmakers from both parties have formally pressed President Bush to commute the sentences of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, serving 11 and 12 year sentences for shooting a drug smuggler in the backside as he fled the scene.<br /><br />'It's frustrating. Scooter Libby was pardoned before he even goes to jail,' said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, a former judge. 'These two guys are political prisoners.' <br /><br />Rep. William Delahunt, a Massachusetts liberal, is leading the bipartisan push for clemency with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a California conservative. <br /><br />If Bush fails to act in the next nine weeks, advocates may have an ace in the hole. President-elect Barack Obama's White House chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., co-sponsored a resolution calling for clemency for the two former agents last December. <br /><br />Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, 'I can't think of a better way for Bush to restore political capital, with one stroke.' <br /><br />T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council – the agents union – called it past time for the president to redress the 'terrible injustice.' 'The effect on morale has already been devastating. You have agents out there wondering what the rules of the game are,' he said.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-10853213307322575972008-11-21T17:54:00.001-08:002008-11-21T18:03:57.447-08:00Pardons for Ramos and Compean are bring considered at DOJ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ul6Rn8UeuKPrkMY53sy6RhKAh4NOnF0UKAfMPeMGGW0ud7BOofdMY5pzwFLyZwKHdSKTsp6gYxvGHQimjrY2E1yTLc3cKfPEbPoNQKuc2i-gR9mM2z6EX1zi6syJYBRsUgh3eFFG2Ek/s1600-h/pardon2"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ul6Rn8UeuKPrkMY53sy6RhKAh4NOnF0UKAfMPeMGGW0ud7BOofdMY5pzwFLyZwKHdSKTsp6gYxvGHQimjrY2E1yTLc3cKfPEbPoNQKuc2i-gR9mM2z6EX1zi6syJYBRsUgh3eFFG2Ek/s200/pardon2" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271295221940455730" /></a>In the last two months of the Bush administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is considering whether to recommend pardons for two former Border Patrol agents, each jailed for more than a decade after shooting a Mexican drug smuggler in the buttocks. <br /><br />The cases of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are now before the DOJ’s Pardon Attorney Donald Rodgers, who works in consultation with the attorney general’s office to assist the president. The president has sole power of clemency in federal cases under the Constitution, and will make the decision, no matter what the Office of Pardon Attorney recommends. <br /><br />This month, U.S. Border Control members have mailed over 100,000 postcards to President Bush, telling him that he should pardon the two decorated Border agents immediately, and that their imprisonment is a stain on his legacy. <br /><br />You can help build pressure for pardoning the two by sending an email alert demanding a pardon. Visit (www.usbc.org) and go to the Legislation Action Center or <a href="http://capwiz.com/usbc/issues/alert/?alertid=10696676">click on this link</a> to go directly to the email to send to the Presdent.<br /><br />Both the House and Senate have held hearings investigating the prosecution of the agents, and numerous members of Congress have called on President Bush to pardon the two men.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-1866144433951703692008-11-12T19:16:00.000-08:002008-11-12T19:18:07.033-08:00Federal judge delivers setback to campaign to free Ramaos and Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc36-YEuH2Jn5vEJwjlr5AHh2eW8j-viuwH3hoe4BHv05FvCkX05fA-8wey5f7KPpCB6A83ZX0687D0Rkmxp_4Ux2PvvBKivHFb1HEocyTVYkdJu-a7pnDaBQIpPh213iaZpuKQlr56k/s1600-h/prison.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnc36-YEuH2Jn5vEJwjlr5AHh2eW8j-viuwH3hoe4BHv05FvCkX05fA-8wey5f7KPpCB6A83ZX0687D0Rkmxp_4Ux2PvvBKivHFb1HEocyTVYkdJu-a7pnDaBQIpPh213iaZpuKQlr56k/s200/prison.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267976073538325714" /></a>A federal judge in El Paso, Texas has resentenced former Border Patrol agent Jose Compean to 12 years in prison for his conviction on charges of using a weapon in the commission of a felony and other charges.<br /><br />Compean, along with former agent Ignacio Ramos, was convicted in 2006 of shooting admitted and now convicted Mexican drug smuggler Osvaldo Adlrete Davila and trying to cover up the incident. The two men argued during their trials that they shot Aldrete, whom they believed was armed, in self defense. Aldrete denied having a weapon the day he was shot.<br /><br />The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans prompted this week's new sentencing hearing. Lawyers for Compean said they are also asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. The two former agents have been in prison since January 2007. <br /><br />The case against the two prompted a massive outcry from supporters of the former agents who argued that U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton should have focused his office's efforts on prosecuting illegal immigrant Osvaldo Aldrete Davila for his drug-smuggling activities. Several supporters, including members of Congress, have asked President Bush to pardon the men, or at least commute their sentences. <br /><br />Aldrete, who admitted smuggling several hundred pounds of marijuana on the day he was shot in 2005, pleaded guilty earlier this year to drug charges related to two smuggling attempts several months after he was shot in the buttocks while running away from Ramos and Compean. The same federal judge who sentenced the former agents ordered Aldrete to serve 9 1/2 years in prison.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-69401528885306985772008-09-24T19:05:00.000-07:002008-09-24T19:12:17.789-07:00Ramos-Compean appeal goes next to Supreme CourtIgnacio Ramos and Jose Compean, former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a drug smuggler and trying to cover it up, were denied a request for a new hearing in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The same court upheld the men’s convictions in July.<br /><br />The two former agents are serving sentences of more than 10 years for shooting Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the buttocks while he was fleeing from an abandoned marijuana load in early 2005. Aldrete Davila was later sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison for two separate smuggling efforts later that same year.<br /><br />The National Border Patrol Council supports Agents Ramos and Compean, and is raising money to fund their appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Shooting a drug smuggler who points a weapon at law enforcement officers who are attempting to arrest him is not a crime. Despite what U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton might think, it is illegal for prosecutors to deliberately mislead the judge and jury about the ongoing criminal activities of their star witness," said the Border agents union, which is raising money for a Ramos-Compean appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-24776837230640330472008-08-01T19:36:00.001-07:002008-08-01T19:37:18.596-07:00Ramos and Compean remain in jail, “The good guys lost this round”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VaDQb9yHdM2pSONHiR9DtWm2jdE9RIoTnPbj690LIsfM4xMj1_Ep3XPE2pLWi28hBOA8xvO9RxvZlib0Ksn-CZpS9wmSHN5pcfv7bW_glD7JAn14CEyahXsHHcqqHZStt_FqrkwvDVs/s1600-h/rally.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VaDQb9yHdM2pSONHiR9DtWm2jdE9RIoTnPbj690LIsfM4xMj1_Ep3XPE2pLWi28hBOA8xvO9RxvZlib0Ksn-CZpS9wmSHN5pcfv7bW_glD7JAn14CEyahXsHHcqqHZStt_FqrkwvDVs/s200/rally.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229743745548165906" /></a>The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, issuing its opinion in the case of Border Patrol agents Ignacio “Nacho” Ramos and Jose Compean, has affirmed all convictions except those for tampering with an official proceeding. The agents were convicted of charges arising from the shooting of an unarmed drug smuggler. Their sentences were increased because they were found guilty of committing a crime with a firearm. <br /><br />Judge E. Grady Jolly noted, “For the most part, the trial of this case was about credibility, and although the jury could have gone either way, it chose not to believe the defendants’ version of the crucial events of February 17, 2005."<br /><br />But Congressman Dana Rohrabacher quipped “The court has sided with the prosecutors who threw the book at the good guys, and the good guys have lost this round.” Republican lawmakers, conservative media personalities and critics of illegal immigration see the case as that of agents acting in self-defense against a dangerous drug smuggler who had illegally entered the U.S.<br /><br />Ramos and Compean have been in prison 560 days, in solitary confinement. They still can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. If that fails, President Bush is the only person who could shorten their sentences. The president has shown little interest in the case.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-24321355030827342252008-04-06T20:28:00.000-07:002008-04-06T20:29:38.662-07:00Congressmen renew lobbying efforts for Ramos and Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp4-iAQ3lH1lT0mffH4uFPWRIu3a0lMvGDzdJrG-xO31YmFjJ3mu_axowgsh06-ur1FfT8l3KxzenUZZ7i-F7KiRCMX9WEnqS-vRpjkuqipLh2XxuGYue3Mf9ZuypvqDF3dCDgkEGLjE/s1600-h/prisonbars.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp4-iAQ3lH1lT0mffH4uFPWRIu3a0lMvGDzdJrG-xO31YmFjJ3mu_axowgsh06-ur1FfT8l3KxzenUZZ7i-F7KiRCMX9WEnqS-vRpjkuqipLh2XxuGYue3Mf9ZuypvqDF3dCDgkEGLjE/s200/prisonbars.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186340328358460898" /></a>Two California congressmen have renewed their efforts to improve conditions for two jailed border patrol agents, urging the Bureau of Prisons to move Ignacio Ramos, 37, and Jose Alonso Compean, 28, to a minimum security facility.<br /><br />'If agents Ramos and Compean must continue serving their sentences, then they should be moved to a minimum security facility where they will not be threatened and under such restrictive conditions,' stated Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.). <br /><br />Compean receiving a 12-year sentence and Ramos an 11-year sentence after they were convicted of assault, obstruction of justice and civil rights violations against a drug dealer who was retreating across the border.<br /><br />'After 14 months of enduring the harsh conditions of solitary confinement, Director Lappin should do the right thing and exercise his authority to move the agents into more humane conditions,' stated Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.).'They are effectively serving a double sentence for an unjust conviction that may very well be overturned.' <br /><br />Because of security threats from Hispanic inmates imprisoned with them, Compean and Ramos were segregated from the general prison population and must remain in their cells for 23 hours a day. They are not afforded basic privileges other prisoners enjoy, such as telephone use, daily showers and television access. <br /><br />The congressmen noted that Harley Lappin, Bureau of Prisons director for the federal government, has visited the Phoenix facility currently housing the two agents. 'I have asked Director Lappin to review the status of agent Ramos and consider his transfer,' Hunter said. 'He assured me that he would personally meet with agent Ramos and review his situation, as well as the events that led to his incarceration.‘Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-72673003859556178872007-12-03T20:36:00.000-08:002007-12-03T20:38:27.208-08:00Judge - prosecutors may have overreacted in Ramos, Compean case<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHgrCeY86xeqVJzriWbtyksyXVWqSUw1bppXDncPrNyFxx28J9NowSIhQvrp7edvIHQz6IPrSs6Q_ZfIh88OH0cplwqe9GCZmJqxpGUfZOxvNf-aQpMJUknZs9bkhyphenhyphenRaUBw-y_qSfBcU/s1600-r/pickets.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil401e93sBqSywEUxsvEvEINWMr-TcJeZugWRYY3EVkeBZMCCEGymcuc0Qcyo5O0iUs30mGmw1AhZaeo2NMaOh08NPRV7pRiRMFrouPAx4RaXter_jOlTforkQ30uD7DR8DqU8wmXQOKo/s200/pickets.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139972431447209778" /></a>After a hearing in New Orleans, an appeals court judge says federal prosecutors may have overreacted in their case against former border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. The two men are serving lengthy prison sentences for shooting a fleeing drug suspect.<br /><br />Judge E. Grady Jolly is one of three judges in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing the appeals. He questioned whether the two agents would have been charged if they had reported the shooting. "For some reason, this one got out of hand, it seems to me," Jolly said of the agents' prosecution. He said it seems "that the government overreacted" in the prosecution that led to a 12-year prison term for Compean and an 11-year term for Ramos.<br /><br />The agents' attorneys are asking the 5th Circuit to throw out their convictions. A federal jury in El Paso convicted the Border Patrol agents of assault, obstruction of justice and civil rights violations in the wounding of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila near El Paso in 2005. Aldrete survived the shooting, but was arrested in November after an October indictment on various drug charges.<br /><br />There's no indication when the judges will rule in the appeals. Compean attorney Bob Baskett says he's encouraged by Jolly's comments, but Ramos attorney David Botsford says he's not reading anything into the remarks.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-4301196497552915382007-08-14T18:26:00.001-07:002007-08-14T19:49:00.935-07:00Benefit September 8 for Ramos Family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_pfn3-TsQ6G-XLPw0b5IJD76-3s9L54_d_Z5E-wsHIVkeWNj1rQgpqgEEFIWffxjKM71ZWzSu8XwtrR_LueKjyHB9hilH5XvX8JAdVGdX2c-9YNqW-KZVQlthqQLfkczQiJZUSwmFsc/s1600-h/laprotest2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_pfn3-TsQ6G-XLPw0b5IJD76-3s9L54_d_Z5E-wsHIVkeWNj1rQgpqgEEFIWffxjKM71ZWzSu8XwtrR_LueKjyHB9hilH5XvX8JAdVGdX2c-9YNqW-KZVQlthqQLfkczQiJZUSwmFsc/s200/laprotest2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098736838497668786" /></a><br />The American Freedom Riders will hold a benefit for the family of maliciously prosecuted and imprisoned Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos on Saturday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m. at the Roadrunner Saloon on New River Rd., Exit 232 . All patriots are invited to attend the party.<br /><br />Roadrunner Saloon: 47801 N. Black Canyon Hwy., New River, Arizona 85087 <br />Directions: Take I-17 N. to New River Rd. (Exit 232), head East. Take a left on Frontage Road and proceed 1/4 mile<br /><br />Roger Hedgecock will emcee, and Monica Ramos and her father Joe Loya will be the guest speakers. The event will include a band, food, a raffle, and fun. Admission is $20 per peson. Proceeds will go to help Monica Ramos keep their home and make the trip from El Paso to Phoenix to visit her husband whenever she is given visitation.<br /><br />Agent Ramos was transferred to Phoenix on July 20th after spending six months at Yazoo City, Mississippi where he was severely beaten by illegal aliens. He has lost 40 pounds and is in poor emotional condition as he remains in solitary confinement.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-46423022992178161222007-07-20T18:31:00.001-07:002007-07-22T06:32:20.443-07:00Senate hearing generates bipartisan support to free Ramos and Compean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivju1BfNfVrKa22fYj86V8s6sBN4TfUWufnnCS5S3M6G5mayJahx24ZoJEsS4t6s3Guf_NeKOhb4Qi9tO2ekj3gkx8V_RMbnwfPl1Cs9vLvXdbXEORzeB3EqDE8e_16j_luNfrdNfU7PI/s1600-h/ramoscompean.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivju1BfNfVrKa22fYj86V8s6sBN4TfUWufnnCS5S3M6G5mayJahx24ZoJEsS4t6s3Guf_NeKOhb4Qi9tO2ekj3gkx8V_RMbnwfPl1Cs9vLvXdbXEORzeB3EqDE8e_16j_luNfrdNfU7PI/s320/ramoscompean.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089456940119422050" /></a>With a firearms law designed for drug kingpins, two former Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, were sentenced in 2006 to an extra decade in prison for firing their guns at a Mexican drug smuggler. At a Senate Judiciary hearing this week, senators from both parties decried the use of that provision against law enforcement officers.<br /><br />The former agents are serving 11- and 12-year terms, while the smuggler remains free, having cut a deal to testify against them. Senators also vented their dismay at West Texas U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, a Bush appointee who has caught unrelenting grief from anti-illegal immigrant activists over his handling of the case. "This really is a case of prosecutorial overreaction," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who chaired the hearing. "This was still a drug dealer who was shot fleeing. Shot in the rear end fleeing. He wasn't an innocent person."<br /><br />Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Tex., a 26-year Border Patrol veteran, also joined the effort this week, pressing President Bush to commute the sentences of the two. Reyes said that even though he had supported the agent's conviction, the sentence is too harsh. "This penalty levied on these agents is excessive and ... they deserve the immediate exercise of your executive clemency powers," Senators Feinstein and Cornyn wrote to the President.<br /><br />Letters to the president have been a blessing for the two affected families, but Bush may not support the requests. "The president has proven with Libby that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants," said Patty Compean, whose husband is in an Elkton, Ohio, prison. "There's no due process with him. My husband was doing his job. I don't think Libby was."Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-46670213867008583862007-07-05T18:18:00.001-07:002007-07-05T18:21:22.283-07:00Congressman Jones response to Libby commutation: Pardon the border agents<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihG1uDCVkrAhQOIogYjJWNNfw5xGOGU1KEQcMEcvyyl_DF0e7d_HlkkoM3LhIS6NRXxkapFiSQ1MZF2hwb1CS0kuHbmAV_ZIjxQVk13TuknvwJWBPFVUAvNMa7ChyphenhyphenE8VKl59oDFhyphenhyphenkP7E/s1600-h/walterjones.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihG1uDCVkrAhQOIogYjJWNNfw5xGOGU1KEQcMEcvyyl_DF0e7d_HlkkoM3LhIS6NRXxkapFiSQ1MZF2hwb1CS0kuHbmAV_ZIjxQVk13TuknvwJWBPFVUAvNMa7ChyphenhyphenE8VKl59oDFhyphenhyphenkP7E/s200/walterjones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083884156187514498" border="0" /></a>In light of President George W. Bush’s recent commutation of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s prison sentence, North Carolina Congressman Walter B. Jones has written a letter to again call on the President to pardon U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean.<br /><br />“I am writing to express my deep disappointment that U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean remain unjustly incarcerated for wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across our border,” Jones wrote.<br /><br />“While you have spared Mr. Libby from serving even one day of his ‘excessive’ 30-month prison term, agents Ramos and Compean have already served 167 days of their 11 and 12-year prison sentences,” Jones wrote. “By attempting to apprehend an illegal alien drug smuggler, these agents were enforcing our laws, not breaking them.”<br /><br />“Mr. President, it is now time to listen to the American people and members of Congress who have called upon you to pardon these agents,” Jones continued. “By granting immunity and free health care to an illegal alien drug trafficker and allowing our law enforcement officers to languish in prison – our government has told its citizens, and the world, that it does not care about protecting our borders or enforcing our laws.”<br /><br />“I urge you to correct a true injustice by immediately pardoning these two law enforcement officers,” Jones concluded.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-72256474197200909462007-06-29T20:25:00.000-07:002007-06-29T20:37:19.558-07:00Ramos, Compean convictions based on federal crime which doesn't exist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQeCOUnVhCde_rbGEJes34UM7trMIWr1RVc0vjKiByyWgc53NTwLnWPay0DDcRQFA8yh-3iQKU0DQxK8OU3Vo2f-K7Fs99GGRDHzXko-PxNpY3y7pYS1N31z0vFA-rg4eM6i2NIU0JXc/s1600-h/walterjones.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQeCOUnVhCde_rbGEJes34UM7trMIWr1RVc0vjKiByyWgc53NTwLnWPay0DDcRQFA8yh-3iQKU0DQxK8OU3Vo2f-K7Fs99GGRDHzXko-PxNpY3y7pYS1N31z0vFA-rg4eM6i2NIU0JXc/s320/walterjones.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081695762990158882" /></a>Mr. Speaker, as the Members of this House well know, in February 2006, U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean were convicted in a U.S. District Court in Texas for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler. They were sentenced to 11 and 12 years imprisonment, respectively, and today is the 153rd day since the two agents entered Federal prison.<br /><br />What Members of this House may not know is that 10 years of each of their sentences were based on an indictment and conviction for a Federal crime that does not exist. The Federal crime they were convicted of does not exist.<br /><br />The law that they were charged with violating has never been enacted by the United States Congress but rather was fashioned by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Johnny Sutton.<br /><br />The law that the agents were charged with, 18 United States Code section 924(c)(1)(a) as enacted by Congress, requires a defendant to be indicted and convicted either of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.<br /><br />However, neither Mr. Ramos nor Mr. Compean was ever charged with the specific elements of the crime. Instead, Mr. Sutton's office extracted from the United States Criminal Code a sentencing factor, discharging a firearm, and substituted that sentencing factor for the congressionally defined elements of the offense.<br /><br />In this case, I can imagine how difficult it would be to obtain an indictment and conviction for ``using,'' ``possessing'' or ``carrying'' a firearm when the Border Agents were required to carry firearms as part of their job. That difficulty may well, very well, explain why this United States Attorney's Office unilaterally changed Congress's definition of a crime to a definition that would be easier to prove by the prosecution.<br /><br />Any change in the elements of a crime amounts to the seizure of legislative authority by a Federal prosecutor. When this encroachment upon the legislative power of Congress was brought to my attention and to the attention of my colleagues, Congressmen Virgil Goode and former Texas State judge, Congressman TED POE, we joined forces with the Gun Owners Foundation, U.S. Border Control, U.S. Border Control Foundation and the Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund to file a friend of the court brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court.<br /><br />The brief urges reversal of these unjust convictions and 10 year mandatory minimum sentences by spelling out how changes contained in two counts of the indictment against the agents are ``fatally defective'' because they fail to charge an offense as defined by the statute. <br /><br />Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues and the American people have been greatly concerned about the denial of due process of law to Agents Ramos and Compean. The American people must be confident that prosecutors will not tailor the law to make it easier to convict in a particular case. Federal prosecutors take an oath to enforce the law, not to make the law.<br /><br />It is my understanding that the House Judiciary Committee will soon hold hearings to examine the prosecution of this case, and I want to thank Chairman John Conyers for his interest in investigating the injustice committed against these two Border agents.<br /><br />I encourage the chairman and the committee to take a thorough look into the actions of the Office of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas and its pattern of aggressively prosecuting law enforcement officers, including Ramos and Compean, former Border Patrol Agent Aleman and Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez. These are legitimate legal questions and concerns about this prosecutor's office, and they need to be answered.<br /><br />And again, I thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for his interest and concern about justice to right an injustice.<br /><br /><b>June 18, 2007</b>Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-41181410802112988492007-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:002007-02-14T09:52:10.347-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Actual Transcripts of the Ramos-Compean Trial</span><br /><br />For those of you who really wish to know what happened, please copy and paste the URL's below into your browser and start reading.<br /><br /> VOLUME I:<br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%201.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME II:<br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%202.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME III:<br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%203.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME IV:<br /> <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%204.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME V: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%205.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME VI: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%206.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME VII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%207.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME VIII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%208.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME IX: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%209.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME X: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2010.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XI: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2011.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2012.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XIII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2013.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XIV: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2014.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XV: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2015.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XVI: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2016.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XVII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2017.pdf<br /> <br /> VOLUME XVIII: <br /> http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Volume%2018.pdfEdward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-76413701199046124322007-01-29T12:14:00.000-08:002007-01-29T12:22:52.671-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Was There a Government Conspiracy to Frame Ramos & Compean</span><br /><br /><U> LATEST NEWS</u><br /><br />Ballistics reports, used in the trial of Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos, one of two Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting fleeing drug dealer Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, do not support the prosecution's claim the bullet was fired from Ramos' gun, according to documents provided by an organization called Friends of the Border Patrol<br /><br /><br /> Despite the conclusion of a laboratory criminalist that he could not conclusively link the bullet removed from Aldrete-Davila with Ramos' service weapon, a Department of Homeland Security agent swore, in an affidavit of complaint filed against Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, that Aldrete-Davila was hit by a round fired by Ramos.<br /> <br />According to FBP, Johnny Sutton and his assistants are guilty of malicious prosecution. The prosecutors lied to the jury and he twisted evidence to make it fit his case. And when he couldn't twist the evidence, the government demanded that the court seal evidence which would have been exculpatory to the defense. <br /> <br />Nearly two years after the conclusion of the trial, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has yet to release a transcript of the trial.<br /> <br />"Back on Sept. 26, 2006, officials from the DHS Office of Inspector General made serious allegations against both agents Ramos and Compean to four members of Congress from the Texas delegation," Ramirez said.<br /><br />"The Inspector General has subsequently refused to provide their evidence to substantiate their claims to Congress.<br /><br />Ramirez consinues, "So I am also accusing the DHS Office of Inspector General of making false statements to Congress in order to prevent a congressional inquiry. I am asking the U.S. Congress to subpoena all documents pertaining to this case including the full transcripts, sealed testimony, and the sealed indictment against Aldrete- Davila in order to get to the truth of this case once and for all."<br /> <br />World net daily reports that Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, has filed a Freedom of<br /> Information Act request against the DHS Inspector General's office to obtain those investigative reports. Poe took this action after DHS informed the Texas Republican delegation the documents would not be turned over to them because the Democrats were now in control of Congress and Rep. McCaul was no longer chairman of the Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-30531740297626135052007-01-29T11:54:00.000-08:002007-01-29T12:14:00.691-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">What are the Feds Trying to Hide</span><br /><br /><U>Is this another case of judicial abuse similar to what <br />District Attorney Mike Nifong did to the Duke lacrosse players? </U><br /><br />Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner has refused to deliver documents confirming his office's outrageous claims that Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean admitted they "were out to shoot Mexicans." <br /><br />McCaul and three other House members met with Skinner on Sept. 26, 2006, to discuss the agents' case. A confidential Office of Inspector General memo from an interview Compean gave to investigators on March 18, 2005 supports the agent's claim that he believed his life was in danger when he tried to apprehend the Mexican drug smuggler on Feb. 17, 2005. <br /><br />Special Agent Christopher Sanchez of the Inspector General's office stated in the memo that Compean believed Aldrete-Davila was carrying a weapon when Compean fired at him. Sanchez was the main DHS investigator on the case. <br /><br />Compean also stated that he saw a shiny object that might be a gun and he felt that Aldrete-Davila was going to shoot him because he kept looking back at him as he ran away ... ." <br /><br />According to McCaul and the other congressmen who met with Skinner - Reps. John Culberson, Kenny Marchant and Ted Poe, all Republicans who represent Texas - the inspector general told them during their meeting last fall that Ramos and Compean <br />had confessed to knowingly shooting at an unarmed suspect. <br /><br />"According to the inspector general, they had evidence that the agents said they were out to shoot Mexicans," Poe said. "I found that hard to believe and asked if I could see that evidence. They never gave us what was promised." <br /><br />McCaul, a former federal prosecutor in Texas, said the Inspector General's office has refused to provide any evidence thus far to support its claims. <br /><br />He and his colleagues are now demanding that Skinner turn over documents related to the case or face a subpoena or contempt of Congress. <br /><br />"I want to weigh the facts and the evidence in this case," McCaul said. "Either it is total arrogance or gross incompetence on the part of the Inspector General's office. If what (the DHS) told us was a lie, or if they misrepresented the facts on this case to members of Congress, we are going to hold them accountable." <br /><br />Full transcripts from Ramos and Compean's trial last spring still have not been made available to Congress or the public. According to McCaul, repeated requests for the transcripts since November have been answered with excuses. <br /><br />The agents were convicted of several charges related to the shooting, notably assault with a deadly weapon. Ramos received an 11-year prison sentence, Compean 12 years. <br /><br />The steadfast refusal of the departments of Justice and Homeland Security to provide relevant information to Congress and the public about why Border Patrol agents Compean and Ramos were prosecuted causes people to wonder what they are trying to hide. <br /><br />Editor's note: How the Hell can a U.S. Attorney charge on-duty Border Patrol agents who are in hot pursuit of a drug smuggler carrying 700 pounds of narcotics of assault with a deadly weapon? Can somebody tell me?Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-2245868733830534532007-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:002007-01-15T08:55:51.763-08:00<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie"<br />value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A6Yq7TbTJ2U"></param><br /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A6Yq7TbTJ2U"<br />type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"<br />width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><BR><br />Joe Loya at Rally for Agent RamosEdward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-72494092897287669342007-01-13T14:26:00.001-08:002007-01-13T14:29:48.851-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Congressman Royce Issues Statement on Border Agent Appeal</span><br /><br /><br />Washington, Jan 11 - Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement calling on the Attorney General to allow Border Agents to remain free on bond pending appeal<br /><br />“The government and the US Attorney have elected to support a criminal - in this country illegally - over the men and women who protect our society from drugs."<br /><br />Two family members of drug smuggler, Aldrete-Davila, interviewed by the Daily Bulletin in El Paso, said Aldrete-Davila has been smuggling drugs since he was 14 and "wouldn't move drugs unless he had a gun on him."<br /><br />The family member, who insisted on anonymity, added that Aldrete-Davila has "been bragging about the money he's going to get in a lawsuit every time we talk to him - but now he's nervous."<br /><br />"Aldrete-Davila is suing the U.S. Border Patrol for $5 million for violating his civil rights. Meanwhile, the families of both agents are struggling under the financial and emotional strain of impending lengthy prison terms."<br /><br />"The drug smuggler, who was granted immunity to testify against the two agents, has subsequently been apprehended again, with an even larger cache of drugs. I find this simply astonishing."<br /><br />"Several glaring discrepancies in the government’s case and the handling of the jury, raise serious questions whether justice has been served. Permitting these men to be incarcerated in the interim will put their lives at risk."<br /><br />”This is yet another example of how some in government are more concerned about the welfare and rights of illegals and drug dealers than they are about America and the brave Americans that protect this country.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Click <a href="http://capwiz.com/usbc/issues/alert/?alertid=9177571&type=PR"> here</a> to send an email to President Bush right now!</span><br /><br /><br />BACKGROUND:<br /><br />Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are currently scheduled to serve 11 and 12 year prison terms, respectively, this month. The case has garnered national attention because of the harsh prosecution and seemingly unjust conviction of the agents for shooting a fleeing illegal drug smuggler during an altercation. Over 740 pounds (over $1 million street value) of marijuana was discovered in his van near the border.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-40796301126121196452006-12-22T04:56:00.000-08:002007-01-06T07:24:42.761-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Bush pardons drug pushers and con men at year's end</span><br /><br />I was just reading where Bush just granted clemency to a bunch felons convicted of drug pushing, mail fraud and other assorted low life crimes.<br /><br /><U>But not a word yet for the pardons of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.</U><br /><br />Apparently, there is an Office of Pardons in this huge bloated bureaucracy of ours that forgot years ago it was established to serve the people<br /><br />What does it take to break into the heart of our so-called "compassionate conservative" President? Maybe a candlelight vigil in front of the White House on Christmas eve?<br /><br />Or maybe flooding the telephone and fax lines of the "Office of Pardons" demanding a pardon for Ramos & Compean, two great Border patrol agents who have become victims of the political maneuvering between the U.S. & Mexico.<br /><br />Continue to send <a href="http://capwiz.com/usbc/issues/alert/?alertid=9177571&type=PR">email letters</A> to President Bush and, maybe a call or fax to the Office of Pardon listed below:<br /><br />Pardon Attorney Roger C. Adams <br />Office of the Pardon Attorney <br />1425 New York Avenue, N.W. <br />Suite 11000 <br />Washington, D.C. 20530<br />tel.: (202) 616-6070<br />fax: (202) 616-6069<br /><br />The Office of the Pardon Attorney, in consultation with the Attorney General or his designee, assists the President in the exercise of executive clemency as authorized under Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution. Under the Constitution, the President's clemency power extends only to federal criminal offenses. All requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Pardon Attorney for investigation and review. The Pardon Attorney prepares the Department's recommendation to the President for final disposition of each application. Executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-20418146179352687602006-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:002006-12-05T13:11:07.708-08:00<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ramos-Compean Affair:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">What really happened.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">By Joe Loya<span style=""></span><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">My name is Joe Loya and I am the father- in- law of <span style=""> </span>Border Patrol agent Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Ramos.<span style=""></span><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">There are plenty of versions of what actually took place when two Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, tried to chase down a drug smuggler in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">El Paso</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>But, unless you were there; unless you were present for the fifteen day trial; unless you paid $6,000.00 to read the 3000 pages of transcripts; unless you spoke with their fellow officers; unless you saw the affidavits from jurors who claimed that they were bullied into going along with the conviction, you cannot appreciate the enormity of this outrage.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p>Please listen to my story and then, please, do everything you can to persuade President Bush to issue an immediate pardon to these two fine agents.<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style=""><span style="color:black;">What really happened?</span></b><span style="color:black;"><span style=""> </span>Basically, two Border Patrol agents, attempting to interrupt a cross-border drug smuggling operation, fired their weapons in self-defense at an admitted illegal alien, drug smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila.<span style=""> </span>The smuggler managed to escape across the border into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but he left his vehicle, loaded with more than 700 pounds of marijuana.<span style=""> </span>It was another good bust. <span style=""> </span>(Agent Ramos has taken part in more than 100 drug busts and has never hurt anyone, despite having been assaulted and fired upon many times.)<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Davila surfaced again a month later with the help of his life-long friend, Border Patrol agent Rene Sanchez, stationed in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Willcox</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">Arizona</st1:state></st1:place>. <span style=""> </span>Davila was also assisted by Homeland Security agent Christopher Sanchez in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">El Paso</st1:city></st1:place>, who started an investigation into the case. <span style=""> </span>Somehow, they managed to get </span>Debra Kanof, Chief Prosecutor for Major Crimes with the <span style="color:black;">U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Justice Department involved. (How or why someone at this level would want to escalate and aggressively prosecute two outstanding BP agents for administrative policy violations is a whole other story.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p>Kanof acted swiftly, handing out immunities to anybody who would testify against Ramos or Compean. She also provided the drug smuggler with free medical attention at <st1:placename st="on">William</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Beaumont</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Army</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Hospital</st1:placetype> in <st1:city st="on">El Paso</st1:city> and free passage back and forth between the <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>, not bad treatment for an illegal alien and known drug smuggler. <span style=""> </span>Kanof alleged that the smuggler was an innocent person who was shot by the agents as he ran away from them, fearing the agents were trying to beat him up.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">The details.</span></b><span style="color:black;"><span style=""> </span>With Ramos and Compean in hot pursuit of this drug smuggler, Davila was forced to ditch his van loaded with 743 lbs of marijuana.<span style=""> </span>In attempting to escape, Davila assaulted and cut BP agent Jose Alonso Compean and left him on the ground bleeding. While Compean was chasing Davila on foot, Ramos had been trying to outflank Davila to cut off his escape into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Hearing gun shots and calls for help from his fellow agent, Ramos raced to the scene and found Compean on the ground bleeding.<span style=""> </span>He saw Davila racing towards the <st1:city st="on">Rio Grande</st1:city>, about to cross into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region> and escape. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Agent Ramos began to chase after the smuggler who had just assaulted his fellow officer.<span style=""> </span>Then the smuggler turned and pointed something at Ramos that he believed was a gun.<span style=""> </span>The time was approximately 1:15pm. <span style=""> </span>It was broad daylight. Ramos, fearing for his life and believing that Davila had already been shooting at his fellow officer, took a single shot at the smuggler.<span style=""> </span>At this time, nobody knew that the smuggler had been wounded.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The smuggler turned back towards the border and kept running. <span style=""> </span>He disappeared into the tall, thick brush along the river. Later, Davila was spotted running across the dry river bed and jumping into a waiting vehicle with two other suspects. This was witnessed by four Border Patrol agents, documenting that Davila was not some “innocent” illegal alien, but a bona fide drug smuggling operation. The three smugglers took off and the agents walked back to the abandoned van where they discovered the 743 pounds of marijuana. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">BP supervisor, Jonathan Richards, who had arrived on the scene, was very angry that the smuggler had gotten away. <span style=""> </span>Richards ordered everyone to report to the station. He also told them to load the 743 lbs of marijuana onto their vehicles and take it to the station. <o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="color:black;">Richards never went across the canal to investigate the assault or to check on agent Compean. Ramos and another agent, named Yrigoyen later testified they told Richards that Compean had been assaulted. <span style=""> </span>At the station, another agent, Mendez, stated that Compean had cuts on his face and hand. He said this in the presence of Supervisor Richards. <span style=""> </span>This is significant because Richards denied having any knowledge of Compean’s injuries.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="color:black;">The BP supervisor lied on the witness stand, testifying that no one told him Compean had been assaulted,<span style=""> </span>which is his excuse for never notifying the F.B.I. of this fact.<span style=""> </span>The truth is that he offered Compean medical attention and had asked Compean several times if he was OK. <span style=""> </span>The physical evidence was apparent as Compean was cut and covered with dirt. <span style=""> </span>Richard's failure to notify the F.B.I. of the assault is the reason why the case was never investigated. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="color:black;">Because of the supervisor’s actions, none of the agent's filled out firearms discharge reports. This administrative policy violation calls for a five day suspension without pay. After checking again on Compean’s condition and asking him if he wanted to file assault charges, according to testimony, Richards then made a statement saying, “If we call the F.B.I. we are going to be here all night doing paperwork. We will never know who the person was that assaulted you although we've got the van and the marijuana." <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>After than, everyone went back to work. <o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">The Arrest.</span></b><span style="color:black;"><span style=""> </span>In a dramatic display of overkill, the two BP agents, Ramos and Compean, were arrested by SWAT teams, armed with automatic weapons, at their homes.<span style=""> </span>They were roughed up by the arresting officers before handcuffing them. And all of this was done in front of their families, including their young children.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">They were charged with attempted murder, indicted, placed under house arrest for eight long months; tried and convicted by overzealous, unethical and vicious prosecutors who were certainly not out for justice, but for reasons that, someday, hopefully, will become clear. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="color:black;">During their time in jail, awaiting their trial, Ramos and Compean were offered plea bargains approximately eight times.</span></u><span style="color:black;"> The last offer came five weeks before trial. That offer was for one year in prison and reimbursement to the government for the $35,000 in medical bills for the treatment of the drug smuggler.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Kanof continued to pile up counts against them until the agents were facing 40 years to life because of the count stacking.<span style=""> </span><u>They rejected the plea bargain because they knew they were innocent and they had faith in our country’s legal system.</u> <span style=""> </span><u>Had they been guilty, they would have taken those plea bargain offers in a heart beat. <o:p></o:p></u></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">The trial.<span style=""> </span></span></b><span style="color:black;">The prosecutor, Debra Kanof said that all Davila was trying to do was get back home to <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region></st1:place>. <span style=""> </span>She said the agents never should have chased him, because they did not know what was in the van.<span style=""> </span>(Doesn’t spotting a van crossing the Mexican border into the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>, illegally, count as probably cause to warrant interdiction by the BP?) <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The supervisor, clearly under pressure from Major Crimes Prosecutor Kanof, testified that he knew nothing of the pursuit, even though he had been on the scene and had been inspecting the van with several other agents. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">At the trial, the drug smuggler claimed that Compean fired 5 or 6 shots at him. During the trial, the prosecution upped that number to 16 shots. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The story Davila told the Justice Department was that he was walking across from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region> (illegally) when Ramos and Compean tried to beat him up. Although under oath, he changed his story many times during the trial. He finally admitted that he was paid $1000.00 to bring the load to an <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">El Paso</st1:place></st1:city> stash house after he was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against the two agents. <o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span><u><span style="color:black;">Davila claimed that he was shot in the back as he fled back to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style=""> </span>The <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> Army doctor who removed the bullet fragment from the smuggler's right groin disagreed.</span></u><span style="color:black;"><span style=""> </span>Although he was testifying as a government witness, he told the truth and stated, "The smuggler was not shot from behind". "He was in a running position, (bladed position) and pointing back with his left arm and hand when the bullet hit his left side of his left buttock and traveled to his right groin. <o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The prosecution then suggested that he may have been shot as he was running across and not away from agent Ramos. The doctor disagreed and so he was quickly dismissed by the prosecution. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="color:black;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">The Bottom Line.<span style=""> </span></span></b><span style="color:black;">The two agents were sentenced to 11 and 12 years in federal prison, respectively, on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and for violation of the drug smuggler's civil rights. They were charged with 11 and 12 counts, respectively, because every time they rejected Kanof’s offer to plea bargain, she would become furious and dream up more counts against them. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">In less than six weeks, two brave, honest and dedicated young agents, who have risked their lives for many years arresting illegal aliens, human smugglers and drug smugglers, will be sent off to prison, while Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, a known drug dealer goes free.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">While my family is suffering emotional trauma and financial disaster, this low-life drug smuggler is laughing at the Border Patrol and planning to sue them for $5 million dollars.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p>Our family is already in debt more than $100,000 in legal fees.<span style=""> </span>We are right on the edge of financial disaster and, yet, if these agents are not pardoned, we will have to raise the funds necessary to pay for the appeal to get a new, fair trial.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">If you wish to make a contribution to help Agent Ignacio Ramos, please make your check payable to Ignacio Ramos and mail it directly to the family at Ignacio Ramos, P.O. BOX 972925, <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">El Paso</st1:city></st1:place>, TX 79997.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span><b style=""><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">More information on this outrageous miscarriage of justice can be found on the following websites:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">FREE Border Patrol agent "Nacho" Ignacio Ramos<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>http://agentramos.blogspot.com/<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:personname st="on"><span style="color:black;">U.S. Border Control</span></st1:personname><span style="color:black;">’s<span style=""> </span>Ramos-Compean blog <span style=""> </span><a href="http://ramos-compean.blogspot.com/">http://ramos-compean.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="color:black;">Go to <st1:personname st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> Border Control</st1:personname>’s <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Legislative</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Action</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> to send an email to President Bush demanding he pardon agents Ramos and Compean<span style=""> </span>http://capwiz.com/usbc/home/<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-33334673352845310332006-12-03T13:16:00.000-08:002006-12-03T13:24:40.972-08:00Review of the Ramos-Compean IncidentHow is it that our president will sign a bill that provides amnesty for illegal aliens, but will let two Border Patrol agents go to prison for performing their duty?<br /><br />Ignacios Ramos and Jose Compean are going to have to serve prison time if the President doesn’t give them pardons, and this will occur again if the system is not changed concerning rules of engagement for those who are guarding our borders.<br /><br />In case you have forgotten, here are the facts:<br /><br />1 - On February 17th, 2006, Border Patrol agents Ignacios Ramos and Jose Compean noticed a suspicious van near the Rio Grande river.<br /><br />2 - The van was being driven by Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, a Mexican national illegally crossing our border and smuggling 743 pounds of marijuana into the United States.<br /><br />3 - When the illegal drug smuggler saw agents Ramos and Compean, he ran for the border. The agents heard gun shots while pursuing Davila on foot.<br /><br />4 - According to media reports, Davila at one point turned toward the pursuing agents and pointed what appeared to be a gun. The border agents fired their weapons at the fleeing drug smuggler.<br /><br />5 - Davila was hit in the buttocks, although Compean and Ramos did not know it at the time because Davila didn’t even slow down. He jumped into a waiting van and sped off in the night.<br /><br />What happened next should enrage all Americans, and as The New American stated:<br /><br />Incredibly, while agents Ramos and Compean and their families face economic ruin, emotional devastation, and real physical danger, as a result of that 15-minute chase, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila – an admitted felon and drug smuggler – has not only gotten off scot-free, he stands to become a rich man, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers. <br /><br />In a seemingly unbelievable turn of events, agents for the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security contacted the smuggler in Mexico and offered him complete immunity if he would testify that the Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean had violated his civil rights.<br /><br />Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and this story is a prime example. Johnny Sutton, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, charged the two law enforcement officers with (1) Causing serious bodily injury; (2) Assault with a deadly weapon; (3) Discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; (4) violating the civil rights of an illegal immigrant.<br /><br />At the trial, the prosecutor dismissed Ramos’ testimonly that he saw “something shiny” in Davila’s hand. She, the prosecutor, then stated:<br /><br />…couldn’t be sure it was a gun he had seen.<br /><br />In other words, law enforcement officers are to wait until they are shot at, injured, before they are allowed to use their firearms?<br /><br />Also, the prosecutor said it was a violation of a Border Patrol policy for agents to pursue dope dealers on the run. She explained this statement:<br /><br />Agents are not allowed to pursue. In order to exceed the speed limit, you have to get supervisor approval, and they did not.<br /><br />What?!?<br /><br />Agent Ramos had an excellent record during his ten-year service as a Border Patrol officer and was nominated for the Agent of the Year award, and stated:<br /><br />How are we supposed to follow the Border Patrol strategy of apprehending terrorists or drug smugglers if we aren’t supposed to pursue fleeing people? Everybody who’s breaking the law flees from us. What are we supposed to do? Do they want us to catch them or not?<br /><br />Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean deserve to be commended, not charged by our government with violating civil rights of a non-citizen and drug smuggler. Our system is bankrupt and it is time to fix it, as well as our nonsensical foreign policy with Mexico.<br /><br />And, did the jury of 12 decide they were guilty? The answer is no. Three jurors stated after the trial that their choice was not guilty. Robert Gourley, Claudia Torres and Edine Woods say they were told the verdict had to be unanimous, which was false. <br /><br />The three jurors signed sworn affidavits that they had been incorrectly instructed as jurors. In addition, other jurors intimidated jurors to change their votes. One juror said he thought that 10 years in prison was excessive punishment. Another mentioned the jury foreman:<br /><br />I felt like he knew something about the judge that we did not know. I did not think that Mr. Ramos or Mr. Compean was guilty of the assaults and civil rights violations.<br /><br />Defense attorney, Mary Stillinger, after finding out about the statements made by the jurors, asked that the verdict be set aside, but the judge denied the motion.<br /><br />The plight of these agents is not over. Please <A href="http://capwiz.com/usbc/issues/alert/?alertid=9177571&type=PR">click here </A> to send an e-mail the President and tell him to use his power of presidential pardon, per the United States Constitution in Article II, Section 2, to pardon agents Ramos and Compean. <br /><br />The American people must not tolerate the imprisonment of two patrol agents who did nothing more than their job. This is a wrong that must be made right. In addition to the pardon, we should demand that those agents receive any back pay due and be reinstated in their position as agents for their pain and unnecessary suffering of themselves and their families.<br /><br />Please take a moment from your lives and help these two fellow Americans. If you have noticed, they both have last names that are Spanish and they represent the melting pot of immigrants and ancestry that represents the good side of immigration – legal immigration. We must not turn our backs on them or forget them. The agents are American citizens, fellow Americans, who require our support.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3332326061017072869.post-75011245796504151472006-12-03T12:59:00.001-08:002006-12-03T13:02:36.400-08:00<B>Department of Justice Claims to be "Unaware" of Congressional Request to Investigate the Prosecution of Two Border Patrol Agents</B><br /><br />During the last year, Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were criminally prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to serve years in prison for doing their job - protecting America from drug and illegal alien smugglers at our southern border. Those who have been following the case with us have been dismayed at the injustice of criminally prosecuting border patrol agents while granting immunity to a drug smuggler, who was carrying 743 pounds of marijuana into the U.S., to testify against the agents. The smuggler - who received medical care at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas - is now suing the Border Patrol for $5 million for violating his civil rights. <br /><br />For months multiple organizations have been working with members of Congress to raise awareness of this case. One member who has been leading the charge is Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC). Over the past four months, Congressman Jones has written seven letters to the Bush administration regarding the Ramos and Compean case: three to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, one to Press Secretary Tony Snow, and three to President Bush himself. <br /><br />Indeed, one of the letters sent to Attorney General Gonzales was signed by 22 members of Congress; another by six members. However, during a radio interview on The Keith Larson Show (WBT Charlotte) this week, Attorney General Gonzales stated that he was "unaware" of the Congressman's letters.<br /><br />However it may be that Attorney General Gonzales has not seen these letters, this inattention to the plight of two Border Patrol agents who risked their lives daily to protect our country from smugglers bringing drugs, guns, and illegal aliens into our country is unacceptable. <br /><br />Agents Ramos and Compean have been ordered to surrender to federal authorities on January 17th, 2007 to begin serving their prison sentences. <br /><br />Please call Attorney General Gonzales and ask him to recommend to President Bush that these agents be pardoned! You can reach the Office of the Attorney General at 202-353-1555.Edward I Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08491657209205353964noreply@blogger.com6