Thread: Bush to Meet with Border Patrol Agents

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_5051275

Bush to talk to border agents' families
Convicted border guards hoping for pardon in shooting
By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/20/2007 12:00:00 AM PSTRamos and fellow former agent Jose Alonso Compean were convicted last spring on multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, for the nonfatal shooting of Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila on Feb. 17, 2005.

Earlier this week, the agents turned themselves in to U.S. Marshals to begin serving 11 and 12 years, respectively, in federal prison.

The pair has found support for a presidential pardon in the form of legislation sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, and in petitions with more than 250,000 signatures.

More than 70 representatives have signed on to Hunter's legislation, making it the first time in American history that Congress has taken an active role in the pardon process, said Joseph Bessette, professor of government and ethics at Claremont McKenna College.

Bessette added that the decision to grant a pardon still rests solely with the president.

Bush indicated in a television interview Thursday that he would review the case, leaving open the possibility of a pardon.

In December, Bush issued 16 presidential pardons. In the past six years, the president has issued a total of 113 pardons.

Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College, said a pardon for Ramos and Compean would be a "win" situation for Bush.

"There's a good deal of pressure on the president on the domestic front," Pitney said. "One thing that can possibly hold him back is the reaction from Mexico. But at this point in the presidency, he desperately needs to do something popular, because right now the president needs friends.

"A pardon may enable him to make some."

Though still hoping to talk with the president, Monica Ramos did speak with Justice Department officials Friday regarding her husband's case.

"We are pleading with the president to hear our side of the story," she said. "My husband and (Compean) are not criminals. They were doing their job."

Both Monica Ramos and Patty Compean, Jose Alonso Compean's wife, spoke with their husbands by phone Friday. The former agents have been segregated from general prison populations for their safety.

"Right now, I'm at peace because I know there are a lot of people fighting for us," Patty Compean said.

"Honestly, I know that Congress will get something done, with the president or not. We still have hope."

The agents have found another possible ally in their quest for a pardon.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, sent a letter Friday to other Texas lawmakers, seeking additional information about the case and the agents' trial.

"I have relentlessly requested information detailing the facts surrounding this case from both the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice," according to McCaul's letter. "To date, both agencies have defied the will of Congress and refused to cooperate meaningfully with my efforts to uncover the truth."

McCaul also complained that final transcripts of Ramos' and Compean's trial were not available through the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, which prosecuted the agents.

Shana Jones, spokeswoman for Western District U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, said she's been told the transcript will be released next week.

"We want it as much as everyone else does," Jones said.

Ramos and Compean were put on trial after they shot Aldrete-Davila in the buttocks following a foot chase along the Texas-Mexico border.

The smuggler had fled a van the agents were pursuing; the van turned out to contain nearly $1 million worth of marijuana.

Aldrete-Davila fled to Mexico, but U.S. officials brought him back to the United States - with the promise of full immunity and medical treatment - if he testified against the agents.

Staff writer Mark Petix contributed to this story.

Staff writer Sara A. Carter can be reached by e-mail at sara.carter@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909)483-8552.
President Bush is expected to reach out to the families of two Texas Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler.

White House staff contacted former agent Ignacio Ramos' family early Friday, assuring them the president would call them soon, said Monica Ramos, the agent's wife.

[b]I don't know much about Border Agent protocol, but it would appear, from what I've heard, that they are not allowed to discharge their firearms at an unarmed person....nor are they allowed to chase people (kinda hinky for border patrol, but....okay). There is also an old law in Texas that states that it is a crime to shoot anybody in the back (I realize it's a crime to shoot anybody, period, but this Texas law is actually specific).

If in fact they were guilty of violating protocol (plus the Texas law), then they should be punished. Surprise, surprise, nobody else thinks so. Apparantly, "Americans" can do no wrong.

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." -Soren Kierkegaard[/
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http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6193

Youth is wasted on the young.... Mkfarnam posted on my town's board about the border guards. Our young self-proclaimed Marxist boy poster writes this.

right now the president needs friends.

I suggest he go back to Mexico.

Originally Posted by had_enuf

right now the president needs friends.

I suggest he go back to Mexico.

Someone needs to remind Jorge which country he is president of because by his actions he seems more concerned with what Mexico thinks than our country.