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Lawmakers Want Investigation, Pardon for Border Agents
NS News ^ | 8 Sept. 2006 | Monisha Bansal

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Mexico; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: aliens; borderpatrol; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; prosecution; smuggling; wod
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To: go-dubya-04
Your comment that I don't care about drug runners is false.

So, what part of San Fran do you live in anyway?

The Los Angeles part.

161 posted on 09/08/2006 3:47:00 PM PDT by PRND21
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To: go-dubya-04
You're obviously one who sees evil intent when it comes to law enforcement, whether you were actually in the field or not. (I tend to doubt it)

I'm medically retired courtesy of a bullet in my left lung (and that was one of my two favorite lungs, too).

I want to see dirty cops punished. These cops behaved in a way that only dirty cops behave.

If you were, you are now bitter and suspect only the worst from them and willingly take the side of the scumbags polluting our children with drugs and illegally entering the country.

These worked really hard to try to make the whole episode disappear. Good does not need to hide; evil does. There's only one reason I can think of for trying to make the whole thing go away right after the event, and it's not a good one.

Quite the little conservative you are!

I'm more of a small-"l" libertarian. I definitely think the War on Drugs, as practiced, is a bad thing--it provides the impetus for lots of bad things, from no-knock raids and jack-booted ninjas to efforts to ban firearms ownership.

162 posted on 09/08/2006 3:47:32 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: BeHoldAPaleHorse
Is possession 743 pounds of Oaxacan ditchweed in and of itself worthy of a death sentence?

I don't know about the death sentence part, but crossing the border illegally should be considered a crime (although it isn't by most politicans). And possessing the drug with intent to sell is a crime. Running when a BP agents says to stop should be a crime (in our crazy world, it sounds like it isn't). Personally, I think if someone runs when law enforcement tells them to stop, they deserve whatever happens next. I know now that's not the law, but that just my opinion.
163 posted on 09/08/2006 3:48:53 PM PDT by CottonBall
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To: PRND21

Figures. Say HI to Barbra and the rest of your West Coast gang for us.


164 posted on 09/08/2006 3:49:49 PM PDT by go-dubya-04
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To: PRND21

I don't need to show you squat. Just read your posts. You obviously support the illegal running drugs across the border and not our Border Patrol who try under extremely difficult circumstances (with a government which does NOT support their primary mission) do do their job.
The US Attorney was WRONG and just an extension of the total lack of support and antagonistic attitude toward the mission of securing our borders that some on this forum are wholeheartedly against. Perhaps instead of getting out your rope to hang these guys you should get out there and find out just how difficult our BP has it.


165 posted on 09/08/2006 3:51:58 PM PDT by antceecee (Western countries really aren't up to winning this war on terror... it might offend the terrorists.)
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To: go-dubya-04
Say HI to Barbra and the rest of your West Coast gang for us.

This is the Land of Reagan and Robinson...watch your mouth. ;)

166 posted on 09/08/2006 3:52:24 PM PDT by PRND21
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To: antceecee
I don't need to show you squat.

That's because what you said was FALSE.
Link my support for drug runners or hush.

167 posted on 09/08/2006 3:54:02 PM PDT by PRND21
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To: CottonBall
Don't keep us hanging! What is it? (Could there be more to the trial than has been reported in the press?)

The only reason that makes sense would be that the agents didn't want to have any official record of the incident at all. Now, if this was all on the up-and-up, having some "been there, done that" in the official record is a good thing.

So why wouldn't they want an official note of this in their records?

Because they weren't on the up-and-up, and something like this on their records would lead to questions they didn't want answered.

What the specific reason is, I don't know.

168 posted on 09/08/2006 3:54:53 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: usurper
Since the perp continued to run after the weapons discharge the agents had no reason to believe they had hit the subject and thus no reason to believe that picking up their brass would be destroying a “potential” crime seen.

Any firearms discharge by a law enforcement officer has to be investigated completely. That is the law of the land, and it's a good one. These guys interfered with that investigation.

So why on this one day would they decide risk everything and shoot a fleeing alien in the back? For fun? I don’t think so.

Law enforcement agencies LIKE their guys who have been there and done that. Something like this, if the basis was on the up-and-up, would be career-enhancing for both of them if it got into their records.

So why did they go to such lengths to conceal it and keep it out of their records? Good does not need to hide; evil does.

169 posted on 09/08/2006 4:02:26 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: PRND21

Nothing I have said is false.
You patently endorse the government's use of the drug runner in court against these agents. You sypathize with this illegal scum over BP agents who are faithfully executing their mission. You therefore support the drug runner. The totality of your statements support what I have said. You are trying to say this is only about hypocrisy and illegal behaviour, but you fail to look at the hypocrisy of using the testimony and excusing the behaviour of the illegal "victim" against the agents.
So why don't you hush??? ... perhaps it's because like anyone else here you have an opinion AND you do have a right to express it.... just as I do.


170 posted on 09/08/2006 4:03:34 PM PDT by antceecee (Western countries really aren't up to winning this war on terror... it might offend the terrorists.)
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To: BeHoldAPaleHorse
Makes it sound like they were into something even more illegal.

Were they young or new? Could've just realized they made a mistake shooting at the illegal and panicked. Maybe even if they weren't new. I know I couldn't do a high stress job like that and be clear-headed and sure of my every action 100% of the time.

BTW, sorry to hear about your lung. Thank you for your service to law enforcement.
171 posted on 09/08/2006 4:06:47 PM PDT by CottonBall
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To: antceecee
Nothing I have said is false.

False.

You obviously support the illegal running drugs across the border

False. Link please.

You patently endorse the government's use of the drug runner in court against these agents.

False. Link please.

You sypathize with this illegal scum over BP agents who are faithfully executing their mission.

False. Link please.

172 posted on 09/08/2006 4:07:16 PM PDT by PRND21
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To: antceecee
sypathize with this illegal scum over BP agents who are faithfully executing their mission.

If they were faithfully executing their mission, they wouldn't have destroyed evidence and tried to conceal that the shooting ever happened.

173 posted on 09/08/2006 4:07:31 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: BeHoldAPaleHorse
Law enforcement agencies LIKE their guys who have been there and done that. Something like this, if the basis was on the up-and-up, would be career-enhancing for both of them if it got into their records.

So, if they had shot the illegal, but had reported it like they were supposed to do and said they thought he was reaching for a weapon, that would actually have benefitting their careers? (And no criminal charges brought?)
174 posted on 09/08/2006 4:09:13 PM PDT by CottonBall
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Comment #175 Removed by Moderator

To: CottonBall
Makes it sound like they were into something even more illegal.

That's the way it looks to me. Question is, what were they up to?

Were they young or new? Could've just realized they made a mistake shooting at the illegal and panicked.

Supposedly made thousands of apprehensions without ever pulling their gun.

Wonder if maybe the smuggler was an inconvenient witness to something?

Maybe even if they weren't new.

Unlikely, though. The ones who do stupid stuff when they stress out do it early; the usual issues with longer-term guys is alcoholism and/or family problems--job performance is the very LAST thing to go.

176 posted on 09/08/2006 4:12:18 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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Comment #177 Removed by Moderator

To: BeHoldAPaleHorse
Wonder if maybe the smuggler was an inconvenient witness to something?

Wouldn't that have come out in the trial?
178 posted on 09/08/2006 4:14:09 PM PDT by CottonBall
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Comment #179 Removed by Moderator

To: CottonBall
So, if they had shot the illegal, but had reported it like they were supposed to do and said they thought he was reaching for a weapon, that would actually have benefitting their careers? (And no criminal charges brought?)

Assuming that they could answer all of the questions without any hiccups, yes.

180 posted on 09/08/2006 4:14:33 PM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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