Posted on 09/08/2006 10:27:53 AM PDT by radar101
Members of Congress petitioning the president to pardon two U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of assaulting an illegal alien who was trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S. are now calling for an investigation of the U.S. attorney who prosecuted the agents.
"These were good agents doing their job," said Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.). "There is something that stinks to high heaven."
On Feb. 17, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were on duty when they encountered Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila in a van carrying 743 pounds of marijuana. When the agents tried to stop Aldrete-Davila, he fled. Unable to shake the pursuing agents, he abandoned his van and continued running toward Mexico.
The agents' version of what happened next contradicts Aldrete-Davila's testimony. The one thing all agree on is that, while fleeing on foot, the illegal alien and drug smuggler was shot. Aldrete-Davila was treated at a hospital in El Paso and then returned to Mexico.
After learning of the shooting, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton sought out Aldrete-Davila in Mexico and offered him immunity from prosecution if he would return to the United States to testify against Ramos and Compean.
The initial immunity offer covered Aldrete-Davila's illegal entry into the U.S., the drug smuggling and his unlawful flight from the agents to avoid arrest. Sutton expanded the immunity to include a subsequent drug offense, when Aldrete-Davila tried to smuggle another 1,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States.
"The Justice Department says they don't have the resources to secure our borders, but somehow they found the resources to send agents to Mexico to find Aldrete-Davila and prosecute these agents," Tancredo said.
Rep. Red Poe (R-Texas) said the Justice Department is "on the wrong side" of this case.
"It appears as though they are working for the government of Mexico instead of the government of the United States," Poe said. "Instead of prosecuting [the agents], they should be giving them a medal."
Sentencing hearings for the agents have been postponed twice and are now scheduled for Oct. 18. They each face from five to 20 years in prison.
"It will absolutely be a sin, it will be a crime if these agents go to jail," said Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.).
Jones has discussed the case with Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and the White House. He told Cybercast News Service that "Something is not right. Washington, D.C. needs to look into that office's activities."
"We need to start asking questions and go down to Texas and find out if there is a problem," he added, noting that there is a history of Sutton pursuing cases against law enforcement officials. "If the American people rally behind these two agents, then we can certainly look into the actions of the federal office down in Texas."
Sutton's office did not return phone calls requesting comment for this article.
Border security is rapidly changing from a federal duty to a local one, if you can believe that or not. Legally it will always be the feds job but since they can't or won't fund it or get it done it seems to be falling back to the locals and that's what is happening all over the country,IMHO.
What exactly were you doing there at the scene?
Any experienced cop or gun enthusiast for that matter knows that rounds can be unintentionally but into the posterior of a perp during a gunfight.
ok PRND21 I am for shooting all drug running illegal aliens in the a$$, salt pellets would be good, they burn longer---and just to make you happy I will personally spank both of the border patrol agents and send them back to work without their dinner. Would that make you happy?
If they had any guilt at all, it probably stemmed from fear of media and management persecution rather than having committed a crime.
LOL, you don't know jack about the Border Patrol, Pal. Shootings are a no-no justified or not.
One guy did, one guy didn't. Charging both for "destroying evidence" can easily be considered as over reaching.
It's been proven that (a) these guys made statements at variance with the physical evidence, (b) willfully concealed their actions, and (c) destroyed evidence. All that indicates consciousness of guilt.
You sound like a broken record. Do you have a transcript of their trial? Indicating consciousness of guilt isn't the same thing as being guilty and this looks like a railroad prosecution to many.
Same as you. Nothing.
You and your Union are part of the problem.
A felony conviction would deserve worse, don't you think?
But you may spank whomever you please.
They acted in concert; one was an accessory.
You sound like a broken record.
I will continue repeating myself until you actually get it through your head that what these guys did was pretty flagrantly illegal, and would get you sent to prison for 5 to 20 if you did it.
Cops should be held to a much higher standard with respect to obeying the law than civilians. They are expected to enforce the law; they cannot be placed above the law.
Indicating consciousness of guilt isn't the same thing as being guilty
Then what you're saying is that they are mentally and morally unsuited to the job and should be fired immediately.
Behaving as if you're conscious of your guilt after committing an act that is a felony just seals the deal on the conviction.
and this looks like a railroad prosecution to many.
If two cops in your neighborhood had done this exact same thing to you, you'd be screaming bloody murder about the jack-booted thugs who violated your rights.
If you wish to praise and defend these two, then you'd better praise and defend Lon Horiuchi.
Or are you just pi$$ed off about Horiuchi because he's Asian and he killed a white woman?
Oh, you do? Are you in the Border Patrol? How long have you been in?
Shootings are a no-no justified or not.
I find this extremely difficult to believe.
That's what I thought. You are ignorant of what happened. Yet you pontificate as if your were there watching these events unfold. And you wonder why you are accused of being a criminal lover.
You have no proof of that, so quit trying to pretend otherwise.
If two cops in your neighborhood had done this exact same thing to you, you'd be screaming bloody murder about the jack-booted thugs who violated your rights.
Wrong again. It is impossible for this same scenario to "happen" in my neighborhood. You are ignoring some crucial FACTS that are very disturbing in THIS case:
After learning of the shooting, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton sought out Aldrete-Davila in Mexico and offered him immunity from prosecution if he would return to the United States to testify against Ramos and Compean.
The initial immunity offer covered Aldrete-Davila's illegal entry into the U.S., the drug smuggling and his unlawful flight from the agents to avoid arrest. Sutton expanded the immunity to include a subsequent drug offense, when Aldrete-Davila tried to smuggle another 1,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States.
"The Justice Department says they don't have the resources to secure our borders, but somehow they found the resources to send agents to Mexico to find Aldrete-Davila and prosecute these agents..."
If you wish to praise and defend these two, then you'd better praise and defend Lon Horiuchi.
Stooping to compare Horiuchito to these two BP Agents is ridiculous, and proves that your emotional need to defend their outrageous prosecution is questionable and borderline hysterical on your part. Comparing the actions of the BP Agents to a sniper who to aim through a scope and shot an unarmed woman holding a baby, making a perfect kill shot by severing her carotid artery isn't remotely linked.
Or are you just pi$$ed off about Horiuchi because he's Asian and he killed a white woman?
I knew you were irrational and over emotional in defending the BP Agent's prosecution, but you crossed the line with that remark and have demonstrated what a complete jerk you are. No need to post back to me. I'm done with you.
PRND21 While you and 98 % of the country are sleeping and too busy to take action, our country is being widdled away by illegal entries, human, drug and sex slave entries by the thousands every 24 hours. And you want to debate a shot in the a$$ by two Border Patrols doing their job. Way too many OBL want nothing more then to kiss the bo-bo on the drug smugglers wound!
You posted to me. There's no point debating you because you're wrong.
Way too many OBL want nothing more then to kiss the bo-bo on the drug smugglers wound!
Link, please.
Did they remove their casings from the scene? BS their reports?
Re Ted Poe
Yes he's turning out to be a great Congressman just like he was a great judge before.
If he says there's somthing wrong with this, I believe him. His record as a hardline Criminal Judge is unassailable.
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