Border agents sent to prison
Angry Republican congressman calls President Bush 'disgrace'
Call YOUR Congressman
at 866 340-9281 NOW!
INVASION USA
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Posted: January 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Art Moore
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© 2007 WorldNetDaily. com
Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos embraced his wife, Monica Ramos,
two days before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison (Courtesy El Paso
Times)Amid protests and a flurry of last-minute efforts by congressmen, two
border patrol agents are scheduled today to begin long prison sentences for
shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who was given immunity to testify
against them.
In an interview with WND, an angry Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., called
President Bush a "disgrace" for refusing to pardon Jose Alonso Compean and
Ignacio Ramos, who were sentenced to 12 years and 11 years, respectively, in
October. With hopes for a presidential pardon dwindling, the lawmakers had
requested that Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez assist in a motion to keep the
agents free on bond during the appeals process. But late yesterday, U.S.
District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso, Texas, ruled the men must surrender
to federal marshals at 2 p.m. Mountain Time today.
"This is the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen,"
Rohrabacher said of the president. "It's shameful this was done by someone who
is in the Republican Party. He obviously thinks more about his agreements with
Mexico than the lives of American people and backing up his defenders."
The California lawmaker, who has helped lead efforts to obtain a pardon,
charged the Bush administration has been playing a "cruel game." Initially, he
said, officials insisted the agents could not be pardoned because they had not
filled out the proper paperwork. But Rohrabacher told WND the White House did
not explain to the public that the agents were being required without
justification, he contended to first admit guilt.
(Story continues below)
Then, last Friday, presidential press secretary Tony Snow addressed the issue
for the first time, arguing that prior to the shooting, the agents did not know
if the smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, was an illegal, and they were unaware
he had about 750 pounds of marijuana.
Compean and Ramos say the smuggler had a gun, but no weapon was found.
The agents, Snow said, "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."
"Instead," Snow continued, "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."
Rohrabacher argues that if the men did anything wrong, they should have
simply received a reprimand, but instead they are being placed in the general
prison population among hardened criminals where their lives may be at risk.
Agent Jose Alonso Compean (Courtesy: KFOX-TV)
Ramos' attorney, Mary Stillinger, told the El Paso Times the men, both
married with young children, may have to spend several weeks at the El Paso
County Jail before being transported to a federal prison.
"Why does [President Bush] have to send these men to prison in order that his
policy not be disrupted?" Rohrabacher asked San Diego radio host Roger
Hedgecock after speaking with WND last night. "He talks about being a
Christian, but he has shown no Christian charity."
Asked by WND for a response to Rohrabacher' s remarks, White House spokesman
Alex Conant deferred to Snows comments on the case.
Rohrabacher told WND he sees a serious residual result of the administration'
s handling of the agents.
"The word is out that the southern border is undefended," he said. "Border
agents won't dare to draw their weapons, and the drug cartel will double their
effort to drive a wedge in our border."
Rohrabacher said he has been disturbed by an "arrogant" lack of response from
senior Justice Department and White House officials who have "shoved over"
their inquiries to lower-level staff.
"I've never seen an administration that does it this way," he said. "In the
past, if there is a senior member of Congress calling, it would require a call
back directly from the administration official in question."
The Justice Department did not respond to WND's request for comment.
Bush has received a letter about the case from more than 50 Congress members,
and yesterday an online petition by Grassfire.org with more than 225,000
signatures calling for a presidential pardon was delivered to the White House.
As WND has reported, a federal jury convicted Compean, 28, and Ramos, 37, in
March after a two-week trial on charges of causing serious bodily injury,
assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of
violence and a civil rights violation.
Ramos is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve and a former nominee
for Border Patrol Agent of the Year.
According to the agents, Ramos responded Feb. 17, 2005, to a request for
back-up from Compean, who noticed a suspicious van near the levee road along
the Rio Grande River near the Texas town of Fabens, about 40 miles east of El
Paso. A third agent also joined the pursuit.
Aldrete-Davila stopped the van on a levee, jumped out and started running
toward the river. When he reached the other side of the levee, he was met by
Compean who had anticipated the smuggler's attempt to get back to Mexico.
"We both yelled out for him to stop, but he wouldn't stop, and he just kept
running," Ramos told California's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
"At some point during the time where I'm crossing the canal, I hear shots
being fired," Ramos said. "Later, I see Compean on the ground, but I keep
running after the smuggler."
At that point, Ramos said, Aldrete-Davila turned toward him, pointing what
looked like a gun.
"I shot," Ramos said. "But I didn't think he was hit, because he kept running
into the brush and then disappeared into it. Later, we all watched as he jumped
into a van waiting for him. He seemed fine. It didn't look like he had been hit
at all."
The U.S. government filed charges against Ramos and Compean after giving full
immunity to Aldrete-Davila and paying for his medical treatment at an El Paso
hospital.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas issued a
statement in September arguing "the defendants were prosecuted because they had
fired their weapons at a man who had attempted to surrender by holding his open
hands in the air, at which time Agent Compean attempted to hit the man with the
butt of Compean's shotgun, causing the man to run in fear of what the agents
would do to him next."
The statement said, "Although both agents saw that the man was not armed, the
agents fired at least 15 rounds at him while he was running away from them,
hitting him once."
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Guardsmen overrun at the Border. What do we expect? We put them in JAIL for
doing their jobs? We sent them a message!
Mexican invade our border? What do we expect? We sent them a message too!
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/borderstory0104-CR.html
Jan. 4, 2007 02:44 PM
National Guard unit stormed while patroling the border
Border attack raises security concerns
A U.S. Border Patrol entry Identification Team site was overrun Wednesday night
along Arizona's border with Mexico.
According to the Border Patrol, an unknown number of gunmen attacked the site
in the state's West Desert Region around 11 p.m. The site is manned by National
Guardsmen. Those guardsmen were forced to retreat.
The Border Patrol will not say whether shots were fired. However, no Guardsmen
were injured in the incident.
The Border Patrol says the incident occurred somewhere along the 120 mile
section of the border between Nogales and Lukeville. The area is known as a
drug corridor. Last year, 124-thousand pounds of illegal drugs were confiscated
in this area.
The Border patrol says the attackers quickly retreated back into Mexico.
http://www.grassfire.org/142/petition.asp?PID=12086235&NID=1
Americans demanding President Bush
Pardon Border Agents Ramos and Compean
The Issue:
Persecuted because they were doing their jobs.
Thats precisely what has
happened to two U.S. Border agents who were convicted and sentenced to 11 and
12 year prison terms for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler who had crossed our
border illegally and physically assaulted one of the agents.
This outrageous injustice took place near El Paso, Texasa hotbed of illegal
activity, where drug smugglers, and violent gang members illegally crossing
from Mexico are often encountered. On February 17, 2005, U.S. Border Ignacio
Ramos (a former nominee for border patrol agent of the Year), and Jose Compean
attempted to apprehend a fleeing illegal alien at our border.
Today, both are facing 20 year prison terms, and even more outrageous, this
same illegal alien is now suing the U.S. for $5 million claiming his civil
rights were violated. Click here for the Lou Dobbs report.
Both agents must surrender to federal authorities on January 17, to begin
their terms. However, Grassfire.org is calling on the President to pardon them,
and is rallying at least 200,000 citizens to sign our petition. Because of the
timeliness of this issue, we will electronically deliver all signed petitions,
and personal comments about this case directly to the White House.
On December 21, 2007, Grassfire presented nearly 160,000 petitions demanding
the full pardon of border agents Ramos and Compean to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
(R-46th), an outspoken supporter of the agents, during a national press
conference. Additionally, Grassfire President Steve Elliott appeared on Fox
News' Fox and Friends to make a plea for the agents (click here to see Steve's
interview). Grassfire is urging ALL members of our team to contact their
lawmakers, and the White House demanding these agents be pardoned. To contact
the White House, 202-456-1111.
Total signers: 193,500
Your Sponsor: Mr. Tim Hunt
The Petition States: To: President George W. Bush,
As a citizen of the United States I am outraged to learn that two U.S. Border
Agents have been convicted of lengthy prison terms for doing their jobs--
pursuing illegal aliens who cross our border, and Im calling on you to
officially pardon them for their actions.
I am even more outraged to learn that this illegal alien (who was attempting
to smuggle about 800 pounds of marijuana into our country), was tracked down by
a Department of Homeland Security Investigator and granted immunity for his
testimony against these two agents!
This is a terrible injustice, and I urge you to use your considerable
authority and power to pardon these two agents and right this obvious wrong!
Find the petition Here:
http://www.grassfire.org/142/petition.asp?PID=12086235&NID=1
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