Posted on 12/22/2006 4:58:51 AM PST by radar101
Former Border Patrol Agent Jose Alonso Compean attends a press conference and rally on Thursday, December 21, 2006 in front of the Old Orange County Courthouse where supporters, led by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher requested the President pardon both Compean and fellow agent Ignacio Ramos' conviction for the non fatal shooting of a Mexican citizen smuggling drugs into the United States. Compean and Ramos are both facing more than 10 years in prison.
In the first official response of any kind to several congressional letters sent on behalf of two former Border Patrol agents, the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday recommended that the agents personally petition for a presidential pardon.
The Justice Department letter was one highlight of a midafternoon rally in Santa Ana for former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean. At the rally, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, demanded that President Bush review the agents' case and either pardon them or commute their sentences. "This is a definitive moment for President Bush's character," Rohrabacher said at the press conference. "We are not attacking the president. We are pleading with him to please give these people a holiday pardon."
Compean and Ramos were sentenced in October to 12 and 11 years, respectively, in federal prison for the non-fatal shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler. Both men believed the smuggler was carrying a weapon during a foot chase along the Texas-Mexico border in April 2005.
Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, the smuggler, was given immunity and full medical care for the wound to his buttocks by the Texas U.S. Attorney's Office in exchange for testifying against the agents.
Aldrete-Davila, who lives in Mexico, is suing the U.S. Border Patrol for $5 million for civil rights violations.
Compean and Ramos were fired from the Border Patrol following their convictions last spring. Their case has garnered national attention since the Daily Bulletin first published the agents' story in August.
Grassfire.org, a conservative national issues advocacy organization, has collected more than 156,000 petition signatures nationwide seeking a presidential pardon for the agents.
Compean, his wife Patty, and their three children attended Thursday's rally. Compean's mother held her youngest grandchild, 3-month-old David, in her arms.
Anna Belle, 11, Compean's oldest child, stood by her mother and smiled as her father began to thank those who have supported the family.
"If the president could look into my husband's eyes, he would know that he is a good man and that he is innocent of what he has been accused of," Patty Compean told the Daily Bulletin.
White House officials have not commented on the case, though the Justice Department letter acknowledges receipt of Rohrabacher's Dec. 6 letter to the president, which was signed by 48 congressmen.
The Justice Department letter then outlines what steps the agents should follow to pursue a presidential pardon.
"As to the issue you raise of a presidential pardon, should Messrs. Ramos and Compean wish to petition for clemency, they may contact the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice for further information on eligibility and procedures," the note reads.
The letter is a watershed of sorts for the agents, who have had several different groups of congressmen send letters on their behalf to the president, with no response of any kind prior to Thursday.
Staff writer Sara A. Carter can be reached by e-mail at sara.carter@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909)483-8552.
PARDON??? B.S.!!
They should get MEDALS!!!
ok, i have been following this story for a while....based upon what I have read, the jury should not have convicted them....what am I not reading or seeing here?
The only other way out of this is an appeal--which can take up to FIVE years
Not going to happen. We are talking about the same President who allows murder charges against Marines doing their jobs.
no, I mean what was the evidence that convicted them...based upon what I have read, there was nothing to convict there...what part of the evidence has not been posted or mentioned? Ya don't convict someone of a crime unless there is evidence of that crime. I would like to know what the jury heard that made them return a guilty verdict.
sw
I agree . Can you imagine taking a law suit to court when you are a smuggler and get shot for smuggling.?
Ridiculous.
Set these men free Mr President.
The two agents pursued Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, whose van was later found to contain nearly 800 pounds of marijuana. After Aldrete-Davila left his van and struggled with Compean, both agents shot at him as he fled but thought they had missed him, and he crossed the river back into Mexico. One of Ramos' bullets had hit Aldrete-Davila in the buttocks, it turned out.
A jury convicted Ramos and Compean in March of serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, obstruction of justice, and a civil rights violation. They are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 22.
Aldrete-Davila, who was given immunity by the U.S. government to testify against the agents, is now suing the Border Patrol for $5 million for alleged civil rights violations.
So the drug smuggler somehow turned out to be the golden boy in this whole thing, with immunity from smuggling charges and a chance at $5 million in U.S. taxpayer money. The two Border Patrol agents are looking at hard time.
We don't presume to question jury convictions. But there are a lot of things not to like about this whole case and the way it developed.
It makes us uncomfortable that a Department of Homeland Security investigator tracked down Aldrete-Davila in Mexico and offered him immunity to testify against the two agents. We understand the need for the department to police the actions of its own employees, but somehow we liked to think that Homeland Security personnel were actually securing the homeland – not out making deals with foreign smugglers.
I'll be surprised if it happens. The prosecutor of this case is a close personal friend of Bush . His actions in this case indicates that he is protecting drug dealers and smugglers rather than acting in the interest of this country. This seems to be the direction the whole Bush administration is going. Some of the drug cartel money must be getting through to people in high places.
THANK YOU for those pictures!!!
Pictures from the Rally:
http://www.campominutemen.com/photos.aspx
Page 2. "Compean Press"
This is one time Congress should have an investigation into the Justice Department (and AG Alberto Gonzales) to find out why those charges were instigated.
This should be done BEFORE any pardon is requested.
Why did the Justice Department go after these 2 Border Agents?
ramos and compean ping
Radar, you left out a very important part of this whole story. The smuggler was granted immunity by the US attorney in order for him to testify against the agents. Before the trial he was arrested a second time smuggling a large amount of drugs into the country. He was granted immunity a second time by the same US attorney. Smells of collusion with the drug dealers, doesn't it?
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/zieve/060713
It is unfortunate that there are U.S. Border Patrol Officers who, through a quirk of law, are U.S. citizens but whose loyalties, culture and mores are of and to a foreign nation. I am referring specifically to Mexico. We currently have Border Patrol Officers who were raised, educated and indoctrinated in Mexico. They regard themselves as Mexican first and their loyalties are to Mexico. They regard their mission as Border Patrol Officers as primarily to assure the safety of their fellow countrymen while they illegally enter the United States. This is why we have a history of Border Patrol Officers working for the Mexican human and drug smuggling cartels. Being raised in Mexico and having friends and family there, they have a support network to use when they get crosswise with U.S. law. Of course, when they get caught, they flee to Mexico where they have family and friends.
US Border Patrol Supervisor David Stoddard. Mr. Stoddard spent 27 years in the Border Patrol
Many Americans are coming to that same conclusion. There's something wrong with the picture when an invading drug smuggler goes free and then sues America while two men doing their jobs get sentenced to prison. They should be hailed as heroes instead.
Here's what Dobbs said the white house response was.
WIAN: During today's rally, Congressman Rohrabacher's office received a lengthy response from the White House.
Among its claims, the White House says, while the sentence may -- the sentences of the two agents may seem harsh, the agents, in the White House's view, used excessive force. And the White House says they received a fair trial -- Kitty.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/21/ldt.01.html
According to some of the jurors, they did not feel the trial was fair.
Sentencing looms for agents, jurors say they were misled
Agents’ lawyer seeks new trial in shooting case
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Three members of the jury that convicted two former El Paso Border Patrol agents of shooting a drug smuggler in the buttocks last year said they were misled into finding them guilty, according to a motion filed late Tuesday, two days before the agents are to be sentenced.
http://hecubus.wordpress.com/2006/10/18/ignacio-ramos-and-jose-compean-illegal-immigration-heroes/
Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos embraced his wife, Monica Ramos, on Tuesday, two days before he is set to be sentenced. Ramos could receive up to 15 years in prison for shooting a drug smuggler who was entering the United States illegally. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)
After the injustice perpetrated upon Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who in their right mind would even consider pursuing a career as a United States border agent? Additionally, are there any current border agents familiar with this incredibly tragic story who will not pause to reflect, as they spy illegals entering the U.S. from Mexico, what performing their job might net them–serious jail time? I wouldn’t blame them. I will blame our president.
But this is what George Bush, and all those who agree with him, wants–open borders and free access to cheap labor. Because he is a short-sighted and unintelligent man, he desperately wishes to devalue American schools, shut down our emergency rooms, and generally spread the 3rd world throughout this country–this country that is doomed to die from the inside out as if we’re one giant rotten apple. The old adage states that “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It also wasn’t destroyed in a day. It died under the overwhelming weight of immigrants it simply wasn’t able to adequately accommodate. It became rotten.
Bush has expressed his desire to grant amnesty to the already 20 million illegal aliens currently residing in the United States. If we’re truly at 20 million (everyone agrees no lower than 12 million), then the number of illegal aliens residing in this country is far more than “all of the Germans, Italians, Irish, and Jews who ever came to American in the 400 years of our history on this continent.“* In the same vein, according to research conducted by Time magazine, “…the number of illegal aliens flooding into the U.S. this year will total 3 million–enough to fill 22,000 Boeing 737-700 aircraft, or 60 flights every day for a year.”
Pushing aside ideas of MEChA and Aztlan, if you’re one who doesn’t believe we are being invaded then you’re a moron. If you’re too worried that you might step out of the boundaries of political correctness and be labeled a “racist” then you’re a coward. Both ways, you’re simply ignorant, and this country will cave in upon itself from the weight of the ever growing illegal population.
This is not an issue of racism unless certain unsavory groups or peoples make it that way. I don’t blame poor Mexicans their desire, their need to break our immigration laws and try to make better lives for themselves in the United States. I blame our impotent administration for failing to secure our borders. While the analogy may not be all that flattering, equating America to the Roman Empire, at least in this respect, is not far off the target. And like all once mighty empires, the United States will fall, but not from wars. We will fall because our government refuses to address the issue that is slowly killing us–illegal immigration.
It all starts at the border. Go ahead, refuse to secure it. Neuter our border agents and send them to jail for doing the right thing, and that will be the beginning of the end. Am I overreacting? Ignacio “Nacho” Ramos and Jose Compean, good hardworking family men and former border patrol agents, will be sentenced this Thursday, October 19th, to no less than 10 years in a maximum security prison for doing their jobs.
This is a travesty. It is a severe injustice. It fills me with shame that my government would allow this to happen. It fills me with a great sadness for these two men and their families who will be without husbands, fathers, and sons for potentially the rest of their lives. This must not be allowed.
Shame on George Bush. Shame on Michael Chertoff. Shame on Alberto Gonzales. Shame on Debra Kanof.
PLEASE CALL THE WHITE HOUSE OR SEND EMAIL.
comments@whitehouse.gov
The White House line is very busy today.
George Bush has already given out 137 pardons during his Presidency. These men need to be pardoned before Christmas.
They shouldn't have to petition (beg) for a pardon for a conviction that should never have taken place. Our illustrious leader should grant the pardon and thank the agents on behalf of a grateful nation for protecting our nation's sovereignty with their lives.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757336/posts
Bush pardons 16, commutes sentence in drug case
If these agents had been caught smuggling drugs they might have a chance!
Johnny Sutton, US Attorney responsible for this.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/us_attorney/index.html
Mr. Sutton also serves as the chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) which plays a significant role in determining policies and programs of the Department and in carrying out the national goals set by the President and the Attorney General. The AGAC consists of 17 members appointed by the Attorney General and represents different judicial circuits, various-sized offices, and expertise. Mr. Sutton also serves on the Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee of the AGAC.
US Attorney Johnny SuttonPrior to becoming United States Attorney, Mr. Sutton served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and as a Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney Transition Team assigned to the Department of Justice.
Mr. Sutton served as the Criminal Justice Policy Director for then-Governor George W. Bush from 1995-2000, advising the Governor on all criminal justice issues,* with specific oversight in the areas of criminal law, prison capacity and management, parole operations and legislative initiatives. Prior to his service in the Governor’s office, Mr. Sutton worked as a criminal trial prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (Houston, Texas) for eight years.
As a prosecutor, he was lead trial counsel in over sixty felony cases, including numerous capital murder, aggravated robbery, and sexual assault cases. He is fluent in Spanish, having appeared as a television commentator for the Spanish language network Univision during the Selena homicide trial.
ping
Let's keeped this bumped up today. I emailed the White House and sent information to some of the News Shows. I tried calling the White House but couldn't get through.
comments@whitehouse.gov
vice_president@whitehouse.gov
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
I don't want to see these men forgotten.
I didn't know until this morning that there is a grassfire petition being delivered to the White House. I'll try and find it.
Good for you!
These agents don't have a chance in prison. 25 to 33% incarcerated are illegal aliens, many in gangs.
Great. I never even thought of that aspect.
Here's another take on this story.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/2006/compeanramosfinal.pdf
Thanks!
Anyone here who has a ping list of activists on other threads might think about getting them to start calling today and sending them a link to this thread.
I think we need to call the talk shows on television and the radio, especially today.
These men deserve a Christmas pardon!
I too think there is more to this story, but I can't find anything on it except the rah-rah stuff. Truth or Fiction mentions it a little in the link below.
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/border-agents.htm
Thank you. This is what I was looking for. It would appear that these two deserve to be in jail.
Please share with us what you think is so condemning. Then see post #22. Jurors disagree.
Here is an interview on video of Compean. http://hecubus.wordpress.com/2006/10/19/interview-with-border-agent-jose-compean-on-cnn/
It turns out we don't know the half of it. Look at this link that e_castillo posted, if we had known the truth about this case, this thread would not even had been posted. Someone needs to post the text from this PDF.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/2006/compeanramosfinal.pdf
3 jurors out of 12.......hardly an overwhelming majority of jurors....if the facts were that plain, then the 3 jurors would have stood their ground ( i have been on a jury, and if i am convinced of guilt or innocence, nothing would have moved me to change my vote ) so either the 3 people have no spines, or they have no convictions. either way, i do not believe them.
Prosecutors with a win at ALL costs mentality.
Political pressure by illegal alien support groups.
Jury pool of the unemployed and nothingbettertodotoday.
Jurros selected to be as dumb as possible out of that pool.
Judges who don't want to take any heat at all.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shana Jones, Special Assistant Daryl Fields, Public Affairs Officer
September 8, 2006 (210) 384-7452RESPONSE OF THE GOVERNMENT TO REPORTING INACCURACIES REGARDING THE COMPEAN AND RAMOS PROSECUTION
In response to misstatements and misinformation being reported in the media regarding the prosecution of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, relating to a shooting that occurred while they were on duty as U.S. Border Patrol agents on February 17, 2005, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas releases this advisory summarizing the evidence presented at defendants’ trial.
As will be demonstrated by the summary below, 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. 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.
On February 17, 2005, Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were on duty along the U.S./Mexico border, working out of the Fabens Border Patrol Station. At approximately one o’clock in the afternoon, Agent Compean observed a van near the border about two and a half miles west of Fabens. According to the testimony, the driver of the van, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, failed to yield to Agent Ramos’ attempt to stop him, jumped out of his vehicle and attempted to run back to Mexico. After Ramos told Aldrete-Davila to stop, Ramos drew his service revolver and pointed it at Aldrete-Davila. Aldrete-Davila jumped into a steep ditch filled with dirty water and when he tried to climb the steep incline out of the ditch, he was confronted by defendant Compean, waiting for him with a shotgun pointed directly at him. During his testimony, Compean acknowledged that at that time Aldrete-Davila held his hands up, as if to surrender, with his palms open, and no weapon was in either hand, or evident on his person. Another agent, who had arrived by this time and observed the scene, heard someone yell “hit him.” Aldrete-Davila, who was at one time a legal resident alien of the United States and speaks some English, also heard someone yell “hit him, hit him,” and specifically heard Compean yell: “Parate, parate, Mexicano de mierda.” (“Stop, stop you Mexican shit.”) According to testimony, Compean swung his shotgun around in an attempt to hit Aldrete-Davila with the butt of his weapon, but lost his footing and fell face down into the dirt and brush. Aldrete-Davila began to run to the river. Agent Ramos also testified that when he saw Aldrete-Davila in the ditch, he had an opportunity to look at Aldrete-Davila’s hands, which he is trained to do for self defense and defense of another, and did not see any weapons in either of Aldrete-Davila’s hands. When Aldrete-Davila almost reached the river, but while he was still out in the open vega area, he heard numerous gun shots. Compean fired at Aldrete-Davila at least fourteen times and Ramos fired at Aldrete-Davila once. Aldrete-Davila felt a sting in his left buttock and fell to the ground. When he reached for the location of the pain, his hand came away bloody. Fearing the shooters were about to reach his location and kill him, he turned his head and saw the two defendants holster their weapons, turn away from him and walk back north. He got up, limped to the river and returned to Mexico where he sought medical attention and learned that the bullet had caused serious injury. The bullet remained lodged in his body, causing him pain and impeding his ability to walk, until extracted by a military physician in the United States. The bullet was removed in the United States because it was an important piece of evidence and because the law requires the government to render such assistance to victims. On March 16, 2006, the bullet extracted from Aldrete-Davila’s body was matched to the service weapon carried by defendant Ramos, evidencing that Ramos fired the shot that struck Aldrete-Davila.
At the time of the shooting, neither agent Compean nor agent Ramos knew that the van driven by AldreteDavila contained 743 pounds of marijuana. The evidence was un-controverted that, at the time the victim was shot, neither agent knew whether the driver was illegally in the United States or whether a crime had been committed. The only information they had was that the driver had failed to pull over to be identified.
According to the testimony of seven other Border Patrol agents who arrived at the scene of the incident after the shooting, neither Compean nor Ramos mentioned that the driver who absconded had a gun, or that any agent’s life was in danger. Defendant Compean repeatedly denied that he had been injured by the driver and refused the supervisor’s offer to file a Report of Assault on his behalf.
At the scene, Ramos told a supervisor that as the suspect fled from the vehicle, agent Compean was on the levee attempting to apprehend him. Defendant Ramos said that as the suspect tried to flee Compean either tried to grab the suspect, or did a “side to side” movement, but fell to the ground and got dirt in his eyes. Ramos did not mention the shooting, and said nothing about the suspect having a weapon. At the scene, when asked why he was so excited, Ramos told another agent that it was just the adrenalin that had him all pumped up.
An agent who encountered defendant Compean a short time later, away from the scene of the incident, testified that Compean told him, “That little bitch took me to the ground and threw dirt in my face.” Compean did not indicate that he felt threatened, that his life was in danger, or that the driver had a weapon at any time. Compean did show the agent nine shell casings that he had collected at the scene and indicated he was “probably missing five more casings.” Compean told the agent he had “fired some rounds...did a magazine exchange and fired some more rounds,” and asked the agent to look for the additional casings. The agent proceeded to the scene of the shooting, located the additional five casings, threw them into the drainage ditch and called defendant Compean, using his cellular telephone, to tell him he had found five rounds and threw them away. The removal of the shell casings from the scene made it impossible to do a complete investigation of the shooting.
According to written Border Patrol policy, an agent who discharges his firearm at anytime, including off duty or by accident, must report the discharge to a supervisor within one hour. Both defendants Compean and Ramos had attended firearms refresher training which includes a review of this policy the day before the incident. Border Patrol policy also requires that the scene of a shooting be preserved so that the Sector Evidence Team may examine the evidence and file a written report detailing their findings so that a determination can be made of whether the discharge was justified. Evidence presented at trial indicated that, in the entire time of the defendants’ employment as Border Patrol agents, every reported shooting had been ruled justified and no agent was disciplined as a result of a shooting. Defendant Ramos is a trained member of the Sector Evidence Team and a firearms instructor who teaches the discharge policy.
Testimony elicited at trial clearly established that, until an investigation began at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security-Office of the Inspector General on March 4, 2005, no written report had been filed, no oral report had been made, and no person in any official capacity was cognizant of the fact that a shooting had occurred or a firearm had been discharged by any Border Patrol Agent in the direction of an individual fleeing into Mexico after having failed to stop for immigration status identification on February 17, 2005. The only report of any law enforcement activity on file for the Fabens Border Patrol Station on that date was an Immigration and Naturalization form I-44, Report of Apprehension or Seizure, authored by both defendants and signed by Jose Alonso Compean. The very brief report stated that after the driver of the van failed to pull over for an immigration check: “The driver of the van began driving back south towards Mexico. The driver was able to abscond into Mexico.” The report, admitted into evidence, then indicated that immediately after the driver absconded, defendant Ramos spotted the bags of marijuana in the van. No written report exists that indicates that defendant Compean was assaulted by the driver, tussled with the driver, was threatened by the driver’s actions or thought the driver had a gun. Both supervisors who arrived at the scene, after the incident was over, repeatedly asked defendant Compean if he was assaulted or injured and if he wished for them to file a Report of Assault-Service Employees, which is routinely completed if an agent reports being assaulted by a suspect. Compean did not wish such a report to be filed.
This office did not prosecute the defendants because they had violated Border Patrol policies. They were prosecuted because they had fired their weapons at a man who had attempted to surrender, but, while his open hands were held in the air, Agent Compean attempted to hit the man with the butt of his shotgun. In fear of what the agents would do to him next, the man ran away from the agents, who then fired at least 15 rounds at him, although they had seen his open hands and knew that he was not holding a weapon and had no reason to think that he had a weapon, hitting him once causing serious bodily injury. The references to policies are made only to demonstrate that had the defendants believed that the shooting was justified, there was no reason for them to conceal it from supervisors and remove evidence from the scene. The laws of the United States make it a crime for law enforcement officers to use excessive force in apprehending suspects. It is a violation of any person’s Constitutional rights to shoot at them after they have attempted to surrender, knowing that they are unarmed and pose no danger to the officers or anyone else.
At the initiation of their investigation, the DHS-Office of Inspector General contacted Aldrete-Davila who was at the time in Mexico. Aldrete-Davila was at first reluctant to cooperate with the investigation because he feared that should he return to the United States, he could be prosecuted for the offenses committed in relation to the load of marijuana he was driving on February 17, 2005. In order to secure his cooperation and appearance at trial in the United States, this office agreed that in return for his truthful testimony he would not be prosecuted for the February 17, 2005, offenses. The agreement does not immunize any other conduct.
Based on all of the evidence admitted during the two-week trial, including the lengthy testimony of both of the defendants, the jury of twelve citizens heard all of the testimony, judged the demeanor and credibility of the witnesses and unanimously found both defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of eleven of the twelve counts alleged in the indictment, including assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with serious bodily injury, discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence and wilfully violating Aldrete-Davila’s Constitutional, Fourth Amendment right to be free from illegal seizure, as well as obstructing justice by intentionally defacing the crime scene, lying about the incident, and failing to report the truth. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for October 19, 2006.
Thanks, that sure explains everything.
A lot of this report is the word of the drug smuggler. I want to know why the Homeland Security got involved in this case in the first place. Who brought it to their attention?
It sounds like the agent who threw away the 5 shell casings was not one of the two accused. Nor does it say that the two agents told him to throw them away. It sounds like the agent did this on his own. This agent is not named.
If the story is not true, fine, but I sure would like to know why it took the government this long to reply to the public.
Also I previously heard that the Drug Smuggler's aunt said he always carried a gun. It's still hard for me to believe that a drug smuggler did not have a gun.
I also heard that a lot of what is being said presently was not in the court hearings. I respect the representatives who have taken up this case on the border agents behalf. I would think they had ample opportunity to look into this case and they sided with the border patrol agents.
It doesn't explain anything to me. I can't understand how someone could shoot a shotgun at someone 14 times and miss? Explain please!
I'm wondering why seven other agents came to the scene. I would think that the two agents called for backup. If they had planned on shooting an unarmed man, it doesn't seem like they would have called other agents to come to the scene.
There doesn't sound like there is any proof that so many shots were fired, except for the agent's word who by his own account went back and destroyed evidence. Was this Agent given immunity?
I still want to know how Homeland Security got involved. The man went back to Mexico, so I doubt that he is the one who involved Homeland Security.
If these two agents were out of control, then I wouldn't have any sympathy for them, but from what has been said they both had clean records. If the government has to rely on the testimony of a drug smuggler to whom they gave immunity, they didn't have a very good case. This same drug smuggler has been caught smuggling drugs after this case.
From what I understand the agents admitted firing a shot at this guy. They may have been afraid to write it up without proof that the guy had a gun. They claimed to have seen a gun.
It looks like the Mexican drug lords are taking over this side of the border. Payola or mordidas to the feds.
According to the Lou Dobbs show yesterday, Bush believes the BP agents got a fair trial.
You, FRaddict, are asking to many sensible questions. You know they don't even have blood evidence of the shots hitting the smuggler. This doesn't even pass the CSI smell test. Surely there was a trail of blood from his running but none was ever reported.
This is a set up by the government. We have seen this many times before.
Here is the border agents story:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53448
INVASION USA
Border agents plead for 'Christmas pardon'
Congressman hosts rally asking Bush to stop 'miscarriage of justice'
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