Friday, October 27, 2006

Pardon These Men

I haven't seen much in the news about this, but two border patrol agents have been sentenced to over ten years in prison for shooting a drug smuggler in the butt who was trying to escape. They were convicted by a jury and the chief witness? The drug dealer granted immunity.

WASHINGTON – Congressmen concerned about the convictions and stiff prison sentences of two Border Patrol agents who injured a Mexican drug dealer they were pursuing say Homeland Security officials told them the pair were "out to shoot Mexicans."

The White House and federal officials have been getting heat for offering the drug dealer immunity to testify against the two lawmen -- Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean – both of whom are Mexican-Americans.


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)

The agents were convicted in March of shooting admitted drug smuggler Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila in the buttocks as he ran away from them near the Rio Grande River in February 2005. Ramos and Compean were sentenced last week to 11 and 12 years, respectively.



3 comments:

Chalmers said...

why is it that these guys should be pardoned? Where was your man W on this one to begin with?

Melissa Clouthier said...

Where, indeed. I wonder if Bush isn't using these guys as sacrificial lambs to appease Mexico.

It makes me sick.

Chalmers said...

My question is, what the heck does Bush owe Mexico?!? If a lame-duck, republican President can't take a firm stand with the cess pool to the south, who can? Bush would have helped his fellow Republicans much more by doing that, than taking the tact of telling people that he is not just "staying the course" in Iraq. Flip Flopping on that front was worth exactly spit, taking a firm stand with our neighbor to the south would have let people know that this is still the USA, not Mexico North.