Bush to talk to border agents' families

Daily Bulletin ^ | Sara Carter

[Ladycalif]

President Bush is expected to reach out to the families of two Texas Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler.

White House staff contacted former agent Ignacio Ramos' family early Friday, assuring them the president would call them soon, said Monica Ramos, the agent's wife.

[JCEccles]

I wonder how a border agent, or anyone for that matter, can tell who is an illegal alien just by looking at them.

They're professionals. They know the odds are that a Hispanic male driving a van full of marijuana across the border and then running south again to avoid capture is likely an illegal alien.

And, it turns out, that is just what he was.

[deport]

Yep got some ice in our neck of the woods also.... damn cold and mixed with rain and sleet. Hey I'm getting some property taxes back for the past couple of years and the school dist. just gave the Sup a $11k raise. Sorry about the socio economic downturn out your way.

[processing please hold]

From what I read, davaila set off a sensor, that's how they knew he was there.

Not reporting a firing of your weapon is only a 5 day suspension. These guys are going to prison for a long time. They didn't know davila was injured, he jumped into a van that was already there and waiting for him.

Did you know agent Sanchez, who started this was a childhood friend of davalia? Sanchez I might add, is a mexican born US border agent. It's Sanchez that needs to be investigated and his connections to a known drug runner.

[deport]

Sutton: No, that's not accurate. There was another Border Patrol agent, agent Juarez, who was at the scene. Juarez witnessed Aldrete-Davila surrender there in the ditch.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1770951/posts

[processing please hold]

This is an article from Oct. '06. It gets very interesting about half way down.

[snip]

Why would a Mexican drug runner's mother call the mother-in-law of a US Border Patrol agent and tell her that her son was shot by the Border Patrol after dumping a million dollars worth of marijuana? And, how would she know her? And, finally, why would she finger her own son? Logic suggests if such a conversation actually occurred, the US attorney should have been more curious how the drug runner's mother knew the mother-in-law of a Border Patrol agent, and whether or not she or her son-in-law had any personal "ties" to the drug runner. Clearly, if Aldrete's mother in Mexico has ties with Sanchez's mother-in-law in the United States, you would think both the Border Patrol and the DEA would have wanted to tap both phones to see who Aldrete-Davila and Sanchez were talking to—both in the United States and Mexico.

http://www.newswithviews.com/Ryter/jon155.htm

[Chena]

They're professionals. They know the odds are that a Hispanic male driving a van full of marijuana across the border and then running south again to avoid capture is likely an illegal alien. And, it turns out, that is just what he was.

Hi JCEccles. Are you implying that "professionals" (meaning border agents and law enforcement officials) can shoot at someone based on the "odds"? FWIW, the agents did NOT know FOR A FACT that the man who was driving that van was an illegal nor that the van was full of marijuana. If I am wrong about that, please advise. I do want to know the facts of this case. :)

[Chena]

What kind of sensor? I'm don't recall that.

I believe I heard that if these agents had done their duty and reported the incident, including the firing of their weapons, it is possible that they would have received a suspension. However, for them to even receive a 5 day suspension, someone would have had to determine that they were WRONG in the actions that they took.

I would bet that Sanchez has been investigated. But I don't konw that for a fact.

[processing please hold]

What kind of sensor? I'm don't recall that.

As soon as I posted that I went looking through my bookmarks to find it. If I can't pull it up I'll ask the mod to pull that post.

I believe I heard that if these agents had done their duty and reported the incident, including the firing of their weapons, it is possible that they would have received a suspension.

True. That's SOP where they(BP) are concerned. Also some sort of in-house punishment, I believe they said. Very low-key stuff.

I would bet that Sanchez has been investigated. But I don't konw that for a fact.

It would have to be an independent investigation. Someone with no ties whatsoever with any person or agency involved in this case. If they dig, they might find something they're not supposed to find. That could be dangerous for them. There's too much going on at our borders concerning drugs and our politicians refusing to shut them down tight. I bet billions of dollars a year come across, that's mighty tempting for corrupt and greedy politicians to turn away from.

[Chena]

Thank you for the information. I agree that there has got to be an awful lot of corruption going on concerning the border. I'm hoping there is a trustworthy reporter, or investigator, checking on some of these people as we speak. The last thing I want is for an innocent person to spend time behind bars. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as if the agents were completely innocent. But still...that sentence seems to be at the far end of the spectrum of punishment, IMO.

[processing please hold]

Here's where I read about the sensor. It was an interview by Casey Wian, CNN Correspondent interviewing Ramos.

RAMOS: To us, after many years of voting this area, when there's a vehicle away from a sensor and people running back south from that sensor, it usually means -- to us, that usually means that's a narcotics load.

[Chena]

I had never heard nor read that before. Thanks for finding that information for me. I'll keep the border agents and their families in my prayers and pray that justice will be served for all.

If you find anymore facts or new information, please ping me. This is one of those situations where I'd rather be wrong than right. Good evening. :)

[processing please hold]

I'm sorry, I should have added a couple more comments, here they are.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos shows us the Texas road where he first encountered a suspected Mexican drug smuggler last year.

IGNACIO RAMOS, BORDER PATROL AGENT: As soon as they passed me here, I just did a U-turn and followed them into town.

WIAN: Ramos and other agents followed his van which had earlier had tripped a hidden sensor near the border through the tiny town of Fabens, and then back toward the border.

RAMOS: To us, after many years of voting this area, when there's a vehicle away from a sensor and people running back south from that sensor, it usually means -- to us, that usually means that's a narcotics load.

Sorry about that.

[processing please hold]

Good evening, I apologize again for being so rude.

I'll ping you if I find anything further in my bookmarks.

[antisocial]

"but I completely disagree with those who think these two border agents should not have faced charges for their actions"

The actions these agents were charged for should have been at most a 5 day administrative suspension.

[Issaquahking]

Also, I checked to see who Sutton is. He is basically a hand pick by Bush. The possiblity that Bush is going to turrn on his political bud seems small in my eyes. Bush is the president, he can't recuse himself from the determination...

Home U.S. Attorney Mission Offices Civil Division Criminal Division Administrative Policy & Programs Employment Press Releases Conferences Contact Us	USAO Home Page Johnny Sutton, United States Attorney On October 25, 2001, Johnny Sutton was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. On November 30, 2001, the United States Senate confirmed the President’s appointment. As United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Johnny Sutton represents the United States in criminal and civil matters within the District. The Western Judicial District of Texas is composed of more than 93,000 square miles, approximately 660 miles of border with the Republic of Mexico, 68 Texas Counties, and three of Texas’ major metropolitan areas, San Antonio, El Paso and Austin. The District has over 260 employees including 118 Assistant United States Attorneys. Mr. Sutton also serves as the chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) which plays a significant role in determining policies and programs of the Department and in carrying out the national goals set by the President and the Attorney General. The AGAC consists of 17 members appointed by the Attorney General and represents different judicial circuits, various-sized offices, and expertise. Mr. Sutton also serves on the Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee of the AGAC. Prior to becoming United States Attorney, Mr. Sutton served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and as a Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney Transition Team assigned to the Department of Justice. Mr. Sutton served as the Criminal Justice Policy Director for then-Governor George W. Bush from 1995-2000, advising the Governor on all criminal justice issues, with specific oversight in the areas of criminal law, prison capacity and management, parole operations and legislative initiatives. Prior to his service in the Governor’s office, Mr. Sutton worked as a criminal trial prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (Houston, Texas) for eight years. As a prosecutor, he was lead trial counsel in over sixty felony cases, including numerous capital murder, aggravated robbery, and sexual assault cases. He is fluent in Spanish, having appeared as a television commentator for the Spanish language network Univision during the Selena homicide trial. Mr. Sutton is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business in 1983, and the University of Texas School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1987. As an undergraduate, he played baseball for the Longhorns and was the starting left-fielder on the 1983 National Championship team. Johnny Sutton United States Attorney Western District of Texas 601 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 600 San Antonio, Texas 78216 Telephone (210) 384-7400
	Department of Justice | First.gov | Privacy Policy | Project Safe Neighborhoods | PSN Grants | Regulations.gov

[mad_as_he$$]

Ok so I called El Paso BP office twice and did not get a return call. So today I called CBP office in DC and spoke to a Ms. Corina. She said that IF an Agent was under "punishment" for something like domestic abuse it would be a Personnel matter and not public. So that makes that claim somewhat suspect. She also stated that the "Agent of the Year" nominations are done by local offices and are not generally released due to security concerns for the agent. So that makes that claim also suspect to me.

At this point I do not take either statement with much gravity.