[OWV9LSxH]

Border agents sent to prison
Angry Republican congressman calls President Bush 'disgrace'

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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 granted full 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) WorldNetDaily: Border agents sent to prison

Comment: Bush isn't an American, He works for the AAE, not the USA and has done more evil to the USA, then any "said" Terrorist...that the CIA funded.

I guess this sends the message, don't protect the USA, or go to jail. You think USA troops are protecting the USA in Iraq and Afgan? No they ain't, our own aren't allowed to protect the USA...so they must be doing something else.

[grattperret]

Bush should pardon them. But Democrats pardon Bank Robbers and Tax evaders. Like Bill Clinton did by Pardon Marc Rich who owed Millions of dollars to the IRS.And Jimmy Carter pardoned Patty Hearst who robbed a bank. Republicans wont even pardon one of their own like Ronald Reagan wouldnt pardon Oillie North. But Gerald Ford pardoned a crook like Richard Nixon. So i think Pardon these two agents is the right thing to do.

[Usogwdkb]

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." Why should they be pardoned??????

[dittygari]

Sounds like murder to me. I see no reason to pardon them. Murderers deserve prison.

[AdvertisingPo]

Thank God we have ways to deal with murderers in this country.

[Itrtuawh]

As much as I would like this to be an injustice (For obvious reasons.). The border patrol did not know they were drug smugglers at the time they shot at them.

[grattperret]

Well we know they were drug smugglers now. I see a double standard here,Those agents did their jobs. But i heard on hannity & colmes show last night the 9th circut court of appreals in San Francisco threw out the conviction of an attempted terrorist attack at the L.A.X He was caught crossing the canadian border with truck full of exposives and chemicals.This is why i think terrorist should be tried in Military Courts instead in civil courts cause the Liberals dont wanna fight on the war on terror.These Civil Courts are appointed by BILL CLINTON! when he was the president. Bill Clinton judges he choose are socialist judges. I dont understand why cant George Bush Fire all these judges on the 9th circut and start all over again? Thats What Thomas Jefferson did back in the 1800s.Its called the 9th circut appeal.

[ahagotyou]

How many of you have actually been shot before?

I can tell you from first hand experience that it sucks and is very gross and painful to get shot.

It really sucks and hurts alot. And it is fucking revolting and the wound stinks alot but you can't get away from the stink.



Is the prospect of finding a little bit of marijuana a good excuse to fucking shoot someone?


WTF?

[MaickiP]

This story is a tragedy and no one is a winner here. I'm from El Paso and I understand the Border Patrol is not an easy task, but I feel the out was just.

What I don't understand is what's with the Bill Clinton fixation?

[grattperret]

What I don't understand is what's with the Bill Clinton fixation?

You dont huh? All them Judges he appoints to the courts all over this land. They let Child preditors to go free. Wont sentence arabs or muslims to death over 9-11 attacks like Mohammed al Moussaoui. Instead the liberal socialist Judge gives him life in prison instead of death. Just like the 9th circut court of appeals dismiss the charges and the sentence of this terrorist caught over the canadian border with explosives and chemicals his intention was to blow up the L.A.X. George Bush wants terrorist tried in military courts instead of civil courts cause liberal socialist Judges to want anything with the war on terror.

[HaroldMY]

How many of you have actually been shot before?

I can tell you from first hand experience that it sucks and is very gross and painful to get shot.

It really sucks and hurts alot. And it is fucking revolting and the wound stinks alot but you can't get away from the stink.



Is the prospect of finding a little bit of marijuana a good excuse to fucking shoot someone?


WTF?

Hi Hairballx.


Never thought I would se the day, when we completely agreed on an issue


Jen

[syptopsygieds]

Sounds like murder to me. I see no reason to pardon them. Murderers deserve prison.

Obviously the shooting was not fatal since the victim testified in court. So it's not a murder.

The jury convicted them of assault with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, multiple counts of obstruction of justice and also violating Aldrete's civil rights.


http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_...os_1_10_07.pdf

Agents Compean and Ramos were unanimously found guilty by a jury in a United States Federal District Court after a trial that lasted more than two and a half weeks. Both agents told their stories from the witness stand and had full opportunities to explain their version of events and to offer their own evidence. The jury heard everything including their claims of self defense.

Now if I'm on a jury you are going have a VERY hard time convincing me that you shot someone in the ass in self defense.

The jury did not believe their stories because they were not true.
In this case, the evidence showed that around 1:00 p.m.(not in the middle of the night) Aldrete , the Mexican alien, initially ran from the agents, but attempted to surrender with his empty hands raised over his head after Agent Compean pointed his shotgun at him. When Agent Compean tried to push Aldrete to the ground with the butt of his shotgun Agent Compean tripped and fell. Aldrete then took off running again toward the Rio Grande River and Mexico. Compean chased Aldrete firing at him with his pistol fourteen times, pausing once to reload and then shoot some more. Agent Ramos shot once and struck Aldrete in the buttocks. Neither agent made any further effort to apprehend him. After the shooting, they lied to their supervisors about the shooting, picked up and threw away the fired shell casings and filed a false investigative report leaving out any mention of the confrontation with Aldrete. This is simply outrageous. First one of them assault him by hitting him in the back with a shotgun, and when he tries to run away out of fear they fucking shoot him. Then they try to cover it up. These guys should get more than 11 or 12 years IMO. They are violent criminals that need to be kept away from society.

Also, they did this shit under color of law. This is the kind of thing undermines public confidence and trust of law enforcement officers in general.

Those who are calling for a pardon are way out of line IMO.