Posted on 12/28/2009 12:15:39 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
Last Christmas, Ignacio Ramos was in a cramped cell at a federal penitentiary in Arizona, listening to Christmas songs on a small radio and wondering what his wife and children were doing.
A lot has changed in a year for the former Border Patrol agent, who became a cause célebre among conservative lawmakers after jurors handed him an 11-year sentence in 2006 for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler near El Paso.
In January, George W. Bush commuted his sentence during his last full day in office.
Ramos then moved his family from El Paso to Houston, where he began the process of starting over with a job at an oil company there.
This Christmas no doubt was going to be the best one in years for Ramos, but an overnight stay at a hotel in Boerne earlier this week nearly derailed it.
Thieves broke into his SUV, cleaning out an estimated $3,000 worth of gifts for his wife and four children that he’d been scrimping and saving for over the past few months.
“We understand this Christmas was more than just the gifts,” he said by phone Friday from El Paso. “The main part was we were finally all together. We can enjoy one another and love one another.
“But I wanted to be able to give them what they wanted and see their faces.”
Ramos woke up at a hotel along Interstate 10 Wednesday morning to find sheriff’s deputies in the parking lot. The family’s vehicle was completely ransacked — from the engraved necklace he bought his wife commemorating their first Christmas back together to a bag of popcorn the family had brought along to snack on during the drive from Houston to El Paso.
“It was pretty shocking,” Ramos said. “It felt like all the air got sucked out of my chest all at once.”
But Christmas Day was salvaged, in part, through goodwill — and quick donations via PayPal — that came in from extended family and people who have been following Ramos’ plight for years.
Ramos’ conviction, along with that of colleague Jose Compean, remained part of the overall immigration debate during the two years they were in prison.
The two were accused of shooting 15 times at unauthorized immigrant Osvaldo Aldrete Davila — hitting him once in the buttock — while they patrolled the Mexico border in February 2005. They then attempted to cover up the incident, federal prosecutors alleged.
The two contended that Aldrete, who admitted to smuggling marijuana, was armed. Aldrete, however, denied having a gun and said he was running from them when shots were fired.
More than 80 legislators in Washington pushed for their early release or outright pardon, including most of the Texas delegation.
The fight continues, Ramos said Friday, explaining he hopes to petition the court for a new trial early next year. Even though it could put his freedom in jeopardy, it’s important his record be stripped of criminal wrongdoing, he said.
With the 11th-hour donations, Ramos and wife Monica were able to repurchase some new gifts for their children on Christmas Eve.
“It seems like it’s been one thing after another for quite some time,” Ramos said. “But we’ve made it through so much more already. We’ll make it through this one.”
When conversation Friday inevitably turned to his last two Christmases, Ramos told his children about his prison cell and apologized for not being there to give them any of what they wanted — most importantly, his presence.
“This is the best Christmas present I could ever have,” he told his family. “I am here with you guys.”
When conversation Friday inevitably turned to his last two Christmases, Ramos told his children about his prison cell and apologized for not being there to give them any of what they wanted — most importantly, his presence.
“This is the best Christmas present I could ever have,” he told his family. “I am here with you guys.”
fyi
Was he given an Apology his back Wages Damages and the Job Back??
Someone should tell Ramos not to petition for any form of new trial. He was lucky Bush came out of his coma, Obama won’t.
wat kind of jury convicted these guys?
is the prosecuter hounded out of office yet???
A Texas jury?
ping
what kind of jury convicted these guys?
A Texas jury?
______________
Most likely an El Paso, Texas jury...but then I’m not sure of that.
“Thieves broke into his SUV, cleaning out an estimated $3,000 worth of gifts for his wife and four children that he’d been scrimping and saving for over the past few months.”
One has to wonder about Mr Ramos’ judgement leaving $3k of gifts in a parked car in a motel parking lot overnight?
ping
Don't forget, he was also an undocumented pharmacist...
“Maybe Christmas..” he thought “Doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
Yes El Paso.
Spit! Bush should have... Spit!
I can't get it out without spitting.
Thanks for the ping. Nafbo sent an email out on this last night and here’s another from them about a border agent getting shot by a Mexican drug runner...you know, the ones that the squatter support squad and Johnny Sutton insist DO NOT carry guns!
Border Patrol agent shot, wounded in canyon
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2009/12/28/news/breaking_news/doc4b38ed1ba29fa833224039.txt#
[snip]Sheriff’s deputies, along with United States Border Patrol B.O.R.T.A.C team and Blackhawk helicopters surrounded the area to search for the suspect and remove the agent.
“He was taken by horseback to a clearing to meet up with the helicopter,” Estrada said.
An extensive search was conducted for the suspect or suspects to no avail, officials said.
Ramanote Canyon is 5.8 miles north of the international border.
The case was referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Good point. You’d think after all this he’d be a lot less trusting.
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/negras-33819-gunmen-11px.html
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico — Gunmen sprayed bullets at a restaurant Tuesday where the mayor of a Texas border town was eating with a Mexican state attorney general and other officials, police said. A woman leaving the building was killed.
Coahuila state Attorney General Jesus Torres and Chad Foster, mayor of Eagle Pass across the border from Piedras Negras, were unharmed, according to police officers at the scene.
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