Posted on 01/17/2007 4:24:55 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
(CNSNews.com) - As two U.S. Border Patrol agents surrendered to federal marshals Wednesday afternoon to begin serving more than a decade in jail for shooting an illegal drug smuggler, a federal lawmaker and conservative advocacy group expressed outrage at President Bush for not pardoning the men.
"This is the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said of the president.
"It's shameful this was done by someone who is in the Republican Party," the California Republican added in comments coinciding with the jailing of agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
Rohrabacher said Bush "obviously thinks more about his agreements with Mexico than the lives of American people and backing up his defenders."
Ramos and Compean reportedly handed themselves over to the U.S. Marshal's office in El Paso, Texas, early Wednesday afternoon, facing the prospect of 11- and 12-year prison terms, respectively, for a string of offenses including the use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
Steve Elliott, president of the conservative group Grassfire.org, also lashed out at Bush on Wednesday.
The American people "have a vivid picture of where the Bush administration really stands on border security," Elliott charged in a news release.
He described the crimes committed by Ramos and Compean as "so-called civil rights violations against an illegal alien drug smuggler who has been smuggling drugs into this country for years and was smuggling 743 pounds of marijuana at the time of the confrontation."
Elliott also argued that the U.S. attorney's office did not have to pursue the case, prosecute the men, "take the word of an illegal alien drug smuggler over that of our border agents" or give the illegal alien immunity.
"President Bush could have spoken out publicly in support of these agents and how their incarceration could further cripple our border security efforts," he added.
Instead, Elliot said, "when it came time to stand and be counted on the side of our border agents, the president's administration chose to side with a career illegal alien drug smuggler."
As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Ramos and Compean encountered Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila while on duty on Feb. 17, 2005. When they tried to stop him, he fled and was shot and wounded. 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.
Sutton later defended the decision, arguing that the agents did not have knowledge of any criminal activity involving Aldrete-Davila at the time they shot him.
Ramos and Compean were charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with serious bodily injury, discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, willfully violating Aldrete-Davila's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure and obstruction of justice for intentionally defacing the crime scene, lying about the incident, and failing to report the truth.
During a press briefing last Friday, White House spokesman Tony Snow addressed the case and criticism at some length.
"According to the facts presented in court, you had an incident in which there was an attempt to pull somebody over. He finally got pulled over; somebody holds out a gun. Sort of scuffling ensues," Snow said.
"And what happens is you've got a fellow running away, and a couple of agents eventually in pursuit, firing 14 shots at him - I think 15, actually. Fourteen by one agent missed, one did strike him in the fleshy hindquarters," he added.
"Now, at the time this happened, they did not know if he was an illegal," Snow continued.
"They did not know that there were 700 pounds of marijuana [in Aldrete-Davila's van]. They didn't know any of those things. But instead you had this. They also had received arms training the day before that said if you have an incident like this, you must preserve the evidence and you must report it promptly," he said.
"Instead, according to court documents, they went around and picked up the shell casings. Furthermore, they asked one of their colleagues also to help pick up shell casings. They disposed of them," Snow added.
Snow noted that a jury convicted the agents on 11 out of 12 counts and defended the government's stance.
"This is not the case of the United States saying, we are not going to support people who go after drug dealers. Of course we are ... we also believe that the people who are working to secure that border themselves obey the law," he said.
This is a strong indicator of your intellect.
"Of course I read the bureaucrat BS."
Exactly which part is BS? Specifically. With supporting evidence to refute it.
"I bet you don't believe they want to use the SPP and create a North American Union and one currency."
Ahhh yes. Now the context of your irrational rants begins to make sense. You're one of them.
Have a nice night. I'm going to go watch my kids' hamsters run on their exercise wheels. It is far more entertaining and believe it or not, even less circular than your tinfoil arguments.
Their mistake was of course picking up their shells and not reporting the shooting, but come on. That drug smuggler was given FULL immunity from his crimes (and has since smuggled pot into the USA again at least once) and free medical care in the US. This is not right and is a perfect case for a presidential pardon.
OK, I read post 44. I must admit to getting my info from KFI AM in L.A. and had never heard all that from the other side. In this case my info could be wrong. I am surprised that I've heard so much coverage of this case and never heard those "facts" as myths and refuted.
Thanks for the full story.
I hate to say it, but reading that almost makes me ashamed to have voted for the man at the top of that corrupt "law enforcement" food chain. What a friggin disgrace. Bush needs to pull his head out of his rear end.
Don't guess.
Ramos was nominated for Border Agent of the Year, which was rescinded after this incident.
Lots of weasel words there in post #44.
How about post #95? Did you read post #95?
(( ping )) to post #95.
No one ever asks why if they are so innocent, why they tried to hide what they did.
The suspect was fleeing & both agents thought he had a gun. How else would you attempt to shoot a suspect who was fleeing? Assuming the drug smuggler had a gun, should the agents have let him turn fully around & aim at them before they shot?
The policed the area of their spent rounds because they did not believe they had hit the drug smuggling illegal alien. After being struck, the illegal alien swam a river & jumped in a van & drove off. It wasn't until weeks later that he came forward that he had been shot.
Which raises more questions and nefarious connections between the illegal alien and another border agent named Salazar. It is reported that Salazar & the illegal are friends and that Salazar fronted the illegal $5,000 to help him file his $5 Million lawsuit against us taxpayers. Salazar hopes to share in any of the $5M settlement.
Yeah, continue to stick up for the drug smuggling illegal alien.
had the passengers on UAL 93, the second the terrorists stood up, attacked and harmed them, would that have been vigilante justice? Or did the passengers have to wait until they managed to hijack the plane to react to be compliant with due justice ?
List the parts of post 44 you believe are false and provide evidence to support that assertion.
"Did you read post #95?"
Yes. Talk about weasel words. Let's just take a look at the first paragraph and compare it to reality...
"when a Mexican illegal alien and drug smuggler, attempted to secret nearly 800 pounds of marijuana into the United States in his van."
There was no evidence to tie the illegal they shot with the van.
"Compean says Aldrete-Davila ignored him, pushed him down, and assaulted him, whereupon the agent called for backup, drawing seven additional units, including Ramos."
In his statement to investigators, Compean admitted that Aldrete had attempted to surrender with both hands open and in the air. Agent Juarez also testified that Aldrete was surrendering to Compean with his hands open and empty palms turned to Compean.
"When he arrived on the scene, he heard gunfire, saw Compean bleeding on the ground, and the fugitive – still refusing to stop as commanded – stealing furtive glances over his shoulder while holding something shiny he believed to be a handgun."
Trial testimony from other Border Patrol agents who were at the scene and who arrived shortly after the shooting shows that this is not true. Testimony further revealed that Agents Compean and Ramos never took cover nor did they ever warn the other agents to take cover. This action demonstrates that they did not perceive a threat. Trial testimony showed that the only blood on Agent Compean was between his thumb and forefinger and was a result of him improperly holding his weapon. When asked if he was injured, he said “no” and when further asked if he wanted to file a report for his injury, he again said “no.”
Weasel words?!? That would actually imply some degree of reality. Based on the facts and actually testimony of the Border Patrol agents in court, it would appear the article in post 95 is flat out baloney.
I suppose the fact that FOUR other Border Patrol agents testified against these two means nothing?
Sometimes buddy, I just cant tell the left from the right.
Reading comprehension problem, heh? I said "weasel words". Okay, here's a couple of glaring examples:
Reality: My office would have much preferred to see Aldrete convicted and sent to prison for his crimes. We are in the business of putting guys like Aldrete behind bars. In fact, this office leads the nation in the number of drug smuggling cases we prosecute.
Funny how this scumbag can successfully prosecute border agents who were doing their job but give the drug smuggler full immunity and the red carpet treatment.
Reality: Aldrete has not been subsequently arrested for drug smuggling.
Notice that word "subsequently" thrown in there? The stench of weasel couldn't be stronger.
Whatever.
I'll continue to support and take the side of the guys on the front lines who shot the drug smuggler, and you can take the side of the drug smuggler and the scumbags who gave him a pass.
In the ASS, actually.
And law enforcement officers have a well-established right to fire upon fleeing suspects. Yes they covered it up. But 12 years? The pedophile miscreant who kinapped the "My Name is Steven" kid got 5 1/2 years for his kidnapping and repeated sexual assaults. The absurd sentence in this case is a gross miscarriage of justice.
Yep, and normally hard-ass FReepers turn into bleeding hearts for these smugglers so long as Mexico and or Bush is involved.
Yep, just distributing the drugs that Americans wont. And for the disgraceful sentence these agents got for shooting him in his ASS they might as well have killed him.
Agreed 100%. I am a Jew, yet I admired Reagan for not backing down over the Bitburg Nazi cemetery incident. You don't grovel or apologize to your enemies--EVER. Bush seems to have lost his balls.
You don't know that. You're just guessing, and if your guess were correct that info would have come out by now. It hasn't. They both have solid BP careers. These agents are being sacrificed for international political purposes...
Oh get off your dumb soapbox already and get a grip.
"Rule of law" to Alberto Gonzales means:
1. 12 years in prison for shooting a drug smuggler in the ass, and lying about it
2. 100 hours community service for Sandy Berger for stealing and destroying top secret government documents pertaining to acts of war, and lying about it.
You understand our f**king anger now?
GREAT comment! I agree with you.
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