I have followed this story very closely.
ICE has one of the worse jobs in the world. They work under extreme conditions and get very little thanks for their efforts.

This is truly a travesty of justice.

At a minimum Pres. Bush commute their sentences. 10+yrs? I have seen child molesters get less time then that.
Why is President Bush allowing these men to sit in prison to be attacked by the same people they helped put away?
Instead we have to rely on Diane Feinstein to hold hearings.

Unfortunately, a committee looking into this is about the best thing that can happen now. These agents were found guilty according to the rules of our system, and just because you and I don't agree what the evidence implies doesn't in itself mean they didn't get a fair trial. If we find they didn't get a fair trial, evidence wasn't available or was excluded, then the appeals process should take care of that. I'm not sure Bush can just set aside their sentence because it would have the look and feel of playing to the law and order types, which would validate our position but wouldn't be any more fair than Clinton pardoning his own partners in crime for the Buddhist temple scandal.

All that aside, somebody should look into this process of giving immunity to this drug dealer, then doing it again later. What does that say about our priority as a nation? If law enforcement breaks the law, then they're held accountable, but the same goes for drug dealers, and getting shot in the ass doesn't count as a get out of jail free card. There are civil remedies for that, of which this character is also availing himself. We definitely need to take a hard look at the prosecutor who made this deal and at the border agent who arranged it, it has the smell of corruption.

There was testimony in Congress a few days ago where DHS admitted lying to Congress and the Justice Department during the investigation and trial of these men. DHS said they had statements admitting the two were going to "kill a Mexican," etc...but these ended up being false.

These two got railroaded because of our weak-ass policy regarding being tough with Mexico and its inability to be an honorable country.

I haven't followed it that closely, but what I've heard is disconcerting. I make my living in law, so it makes sense to me.

The agents fired weapons at a fleeing suspect. They are not allowed to use lethal force when there is no risk of harm to themselves or anyone else. The suspect's worth as a person is irrelevant in a legal context. They surely knew that. I'm assuming that's why they tire to cover up their crime. I have no problem with harsh penalties for law enforcement personnel who break the law, shoot at those who are not a threat to them or anyone else, and then work to conceal what they did. If we can't trust those who enforce the law, we may as well go back to a feudal state. The guy who was shot would presumably get immunization because prosecutors see a small time drug smuggler as less of a problem than two law enforcement people who feel themselves above the law. Since the sole reason prosecutors or anyone else is aware of him and what he did is due to the illegal actions of the two agents, convicting him would be difficult, if not impossible. In other words, he can't be prosecuted because the agents screwed up.

I do think the sentnence may be somewhat excessive, and clearly, they should not be mixed with those they worked to incarcerate. It should be investigated whether that was a mistake or deliberate, and people should be held accountable.

I just don't see them as unique. I know it's gospel to some thtt killers are let go all the time, but there are plenty of people who spend a lot of time in prison for seemingly minor crimes. The justice system is not foolproof. Still, they were tried and convicted, and it is alarming to think they might be freed for political reasons. It erodes the idea of an independent judiciary when sentencing is subject to public whim. A full pardon could also be seen as approval of a "kill 'em all" approach, will will lead to dead illegals (I don't think illegal immigration should be a capital crime) and will probably lead to a few U.S. citizens being shot by mistake. It's not unforeseeable that illegal immigrants will begin shooting it out with border agents int hat case. Seems a horrid policy idea.

Well, as all my cop friends say "He shouldnt have run".

This whole situation makes me ill.

This whole thing is a joke. If agents are not permitted to act in response to being fired upon, what the hell are they supposed to do-let a proven
drug dealer SHOOT AND KILL THEM? It's the same as the National Guard, who can't patrol with guns,
yet they can put their lives on the line as well.
This is bull. Our borders should be patrolled by
OUR men, who are equipped with guns to counter ANY
and all who enter our country illegally. As yet,
we are only catching occassional possible drug lords, terrorists, and illegal aliens, and it's like we can let them 'overrun our country', cause we can't all read off the same page, by giving our
Troops the "go ahead and seriously STOP this sieve
and illegals storming our borders". I for one, do
wish the MinuteMen would have had even more leverege to help with this "sieve of a border".
When will the Whitehouse "actually set about in protecting American citizens from all due danger"?

SIMPLE ANSWER !!!

SEAL the border, it seems that the Bush admin. or the repubies are un willing to do this.
The dems of course would open the flood gates.

The november loss WASNT about Iraq.
it was about the BORDER !

The more one shines a light on this case, the uglier it becomes!

According to an article in WorldNetDaily today (Feb. 9, 2007),

According to official documents in WND's possession, a Department of Homeland Security agent played a major role in managing the drug smuggler and conducting the field investigation in the incident that landed Border Patrol officers Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean in federal prison for more than a decade.

"...Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, yesterday called for the resignation of four DHS investigators, including Assistant Inspector General Elizabeth Redman, after DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner testified under oath his deputies had lied to Congress about non-existent reports that were supposed to have established Ramos and Compean as rogue cops who wanted to 'shoot some Mexicans.'"

"WND has obtained a copy of the government-issued border pass given to Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, the drug smuggler granted immunity to testify against Ramos and Compean. The border pass allowed multiple entries to the U.S. and carried the signature and badge number of Sanchez.

The border pass appears to have been issued March 16, 2005, the day Sanchez brought Aldrete-Davila to William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, to have a bullet removed from his right thigh.

"Aldrete-Davila was issued what amounts to a 'Gold Elite' border pass," Andy Ramirez, chairman of the Friends of the Border Patrol, told WND. "With the stamp for multiple entries into the United States, Aldrete-Davila didn't have to run the back roads as a drug smuggler any more. He could tell his drug bosses in Mexico that he could drive their loads right through border crossing points without much worry."

As much as I hate to subscribe to conspiracy theories, from what I've read over the past several months, this entire case seems to be some sort of malicious effort to demoralize the Border Patrol Agents by using them as pawns in the Administration's unwillingness to address the issue of border security. It's as if some sort of wink and nod has gone from the top down (That would be the Commander-in-Chief) to the various agencies in charge of oversight (such as Homeland Security) to crush the spirit and willingness of our Border Patrol Agents to protect this nation from the threat of illegal trespassers.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to understand why the President can't see that sending tens of thousands of soldiers to Iraq to secure its borders against terrorists while we leave our own back door wide open to anyone who wishes to enter is absolute folly. He's made a huge point of sending National Guards to the Border and signing a Border Fence Law last year, only to show that the National Guard is nothing more than window dressing, and Border Patrol is being forced to take a back seat to political correctness, and there is little or no effort being made to fund the building of the border fence.

If the Administration keeps up with these destructive policies, then they can be assured that they will spend many more years in the political wilderness before they're trusted again to any position of leadership. On this issue, the President has bombed out entirely. He needs to pardon Agents Ramos and Campeon. There are also moves underway in Congress to issue a Congressional Pardon and vacating of the convictions in this matter.

Any candidate for President who doesn't come down firmly and unequivocally in favor of border security as the foundation upon which all immigration reform springs, will not get my vote. I suspect that there are millions of other Americans out there who feel as I do.

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