Thread: Christmas greetings sought for jailed border agents

Christmas greetings sought for jailed border agents
Congressman: Case based on 'reasons we have yet to fully understand'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: December 22, 2008
9:46 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

An organization working in support of jailed U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean is suggesting Christmas meetings for the former officers who are serving prison sentences of more than a decade for shooting at an drug smuggler who dumped a load of marijuana and was fleeing back into Mexico.

The website for Ramoshas listed the mailing addressed for the two, who also are the subjects of a petition launched by WND founder and editor Joseph Farah, seeking a presidential pardon.

So far, more than 20,000 people have signed onto the campaign to urge President Bush to free Ramos and Compean before he leaves office in a few weeks.

The Ramos blog, which has carried ongoing reports on the status of the agents' charges, imprisonment, appeals and now request for presidential intervention, said the Christmas greetings could be sent to:

Ignacio Ramos, 58079-180
FCI Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution
37910 N. 45th Avenue
Phoenix, Ariz., 85086
And:

Jose Compean, 58080180
FCI Elkton
PO Box 10
Lisbon, Ohio, 44432
Send a FedEx letter to the president asking him to help Ramos and Compean.

Meanwhile, several prominent voices, including that of U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., were arguing on behalf of the agents.

In a recent commentary, Rohrabacher said as more details about the case emerge, the louder the pleas for justice have become.

"The American people cannot seem to reconcile how two law enforcement officers whose job was to protect our borders from illegal aliens, drug smugglers, human traffickers, and terrorists could end up sitting in solitary confinement, facing over a decade in federal prison, for shooting and wounding an illegal alien in the process of smuggling over a million dollars worth of drugs across our Southern border in Texas," he wrote.

"For reasons we have to yet to fully understand, the U.S. Attorney's Office in El Paso decided to pursue criminal charges against agents Ramos and Compean instead of against the real criminal, Osvaldo Aldrete Davila. He resisted arrest, assaulted an officer and left behind 743 pounds of marijuana as he absconded back to Mexico."

Rohrabacher lamented the fact that prosecutors decided Davila was the "victim" and "deserved be treated as such. The smuggler was subsequently rewarded with full immunity for his crimes, free health care and unconditional border-crossing cards permitting him to come and go as often as he liked, without escort.

"Unbeknownst to the jury, Davila was involved in another drug-smuggling incident several months before the trial. The prosecution, however, was well aware of his illicit activities and asked the trial judge to keep this information from the jury because it was not 'relevant.' The judge granted their request because, after all, the illegal alien drug smuggler was the 'victim,'" the congressman wrote.

Rohrabacher warned of the dramatic impact on law enforcement.

"Every law enforcement officer who discharges his weapon in a split-second, deadly force situation, now faces the possibility of being charged under 18 U.S.C. 924 (c) – 'discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence' – which carries a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence," he said.

"Ramos and Compean were not rogue or corrupt officers. They did not wake up the morning of Feb. 17, 2005, intent on committing a crime, unlike Davila. On that fateful day, they put on their uniforms, strapped on their badges and guns to protect our families from illegal alien criminals like Aldrete Davila. Some mistakes may have been made that day, but by no means should Ramos and Compean be in prison for the next decade as a result," he urged.

Ramos and Compean are serving 11- and 12-year prison sentences, respectively, for shooting at a fleeing illegal alien drug dealer while he smuggled nearly 750 pounds of marijuana across the border. They were convicted of assault, discharge of a weapon in the commission of a crime of violence, tampering with an official proceeding and deprivation of civil rights.

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office gave the smuggler full immunity from prosecution for agreeing to serve as the government's star witness and testify against the border agents. A ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals affirmed all convictions except for tampering with an official proceeding, which it vacated and remanded for resentencing.

Ramos' attorney, David Botsworth, said a petition for writ of certiorari was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court and docketed on Dec. 11. The government has the right to file a response should it choose to do so by early January.

"It's obviously an astronomical uphill battle to get review in the Supreme Court," Botsworth said. "I think the issues are worthy of their consideration."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84285

Thanks for posting this Jean.

Originally Posted by MountainDog

Thanks for posting this Jean.

You're most welcome MD. Know others have posted the addresses also to send cards but the more the better for those new people who show up.

jean maybe if there was a way to post date a topic to a later date and keep it at the top that way everyone who comes on to the page would see it

Originally Posted by jamesw62

jean maybe if there was a way to post date a topic to a later date and keep it at the top that way everyone who comes on to the page would see it

We can always add 'bttt' periodically on such threads which noticed you did on another thread.

Originally Posted by jean

Originally Posted by jamesw62

jean maybe if there was a way to post date a topic to a later date and keep it at the top that way everyone who comes on to the page would see it

We can always add 'bttt' periodically on such threads which noticed you did on another thread.

yep i did bump it,. but have you seen what i wrote since i bumped it

MD made this post a sticky for now to keep it at the top.

Thanks MD, good idea.