Posted on 10/26/2006 6:18:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Department of Homeland Security officials told four House members last month that two Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a drug smuggler admitted to supervisors that they were "out to shoot Mexicans" the day of the shooting, but have yet to provide proof the agents made such statements.
In an effort to convince four concerned congressman that the El Paso, Texas ,trial, conviction and sentencing of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were warranted, representatives of the Homeland Security Office of Inspector General met privately with the congressmen to assure them of Ramos' and Compean's guilt.
The agents were convicted earlier this year 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, in prison.
Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, one of the congressmen at the private meeting, said he and three of his House colleagues were told by the OIG's office that the agents "were out to shoot Mexicans" and that the Department of Homeland Security had other damning information about Ramos' and Compean's actions the day that Al- drete-Davila was wounded.
Poe and Reps. John Culberson, Kenny Marchant and Michael McCaul, all R-Texas, met with the OIG officials Sept. 26 in the Lone Star State.
Those officials, however, did not provide proof of the agents' supposed confession. Instead, they said they would provide the information after last week's sentencing hearing, according to the congressmen.
Two of the congressmen, along with National Border Patrol Council President TJ Bonner and Andy Ramirez, chairman of the Chino-based Friends of the Border Patrol, now are demanding that the OIG immediately provide the evidence promised. Both organizations have publicly supported Ramos and Compean.
Officials at the DHS Office of Inspector General did not return phone calls for comment.
"They will provide us the information we requested," Poe said. "They will either provide it informally or they will be doing it formally."
Jack Hirschfield, a spokesman for McCaul, said the congressman's office also has asked for the OIG information.
"Congressman McCaul is interested in following the ongoing issues involved in this case," Hirschfield said.
Poe said it is unclear what type of evidence the OIG will provide against the agents and wonders why it wasn't used in their trial.
Bonner said the OIG's claims are an effort to detour the House from holding hearings on the agents' case in November.
"These outrageous fabrications were clearly intended to derail the congressional investigation into the circumstances underlying the prosecution of two innocent Border Patrol agents," Bonner said.
Johnny Sutton, the U.S. attorney whose office prosecuted Ramos and Compean, said at a news conference after last week's sentencing that the pair shot an unarmed suspect.
"Being a United States Border Patrol agent is not a license to shoot people," Sutton told reporters. "It is especially not a license to shoot unarmed . . . suspects who are running away from you. . . . It is not a license to write a report and turn it in which leaves out the fact that you shot an unarmed suspect who was running away from you."
But an Office of Inspector General memorandum obtained Tuesday by The Sun's sister newspaper, the Ontario-based Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, contradicts Sutton's claim that Ramos and Compean reported Aldrete-Davila was unarmed.
The memorandum of activity was written April 4, 2005, by Christopher Sanchez, the OIG investigator who questioned Compean about the Feb. 17, 2005, shooting. Sanchez was the same agent who went to Mexico to interview Aldrete-Davila, according to documents obtained by the newspaper.
Sanchez brought the smuggler under protective custody back to the United States, where he was given medical care and was granted immunity by the U.S. Attorney's Office to testify against the agents.
Sutton could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The six-page memo includes Compean describing what happened after Aldrete-Davila wrestled with the agent and threw dirt in his eyes.
"Compean said that Aldrete-Davila continued to look back over his shoulder towards Compean as Aldrete-Davila ran away from him," the memo reads.
"Compean said that he began to shoot at Aldrete-Davila because of the shiny object he thought he saw in Aldrete-Davila's hand and because Aldrete-Davila continued to look back towards his direction. Compean explained that he thought the shiny object might be a gun and that Aldrete-Davila was going to shoot at him because he kept looking back at him."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof told the Daily Bulletin in August that the agents never told anyone the smuggler was carrying a gun. Kanof also could not be reached for comment on the incident report.
Two of Aldrete-Davila's family members, interviewed by the Daily Bulletin in El Paso last week, said Aldrete-Davila has been smuggling drugs since he was 14 and "wouldn't move drugs unless he had a gun on him," said one.
The family member, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, added that Aldrete-Davila has "been bragging about the money he's going to get in a lawsuit every time we talk to him - but now he's nervous."
Aldrete-Davila is suing the U.S. Border Patrol for $5 million, alleging the agency violated his civil rights.
Meanwhile, the families of both agents are still trying to understand why the federal government would tell congressmen that Ramos and Compean wanted to "shoot Mexicans."
"If anybody knew our family, they would know that most of our family still lives in Mexico," said Claudia Martinez, Compean's sister. "We are of Mexican heritage. Ramos is the same. Why would they ever say such a thing?"
Homeland Security Office = GESTAPO
HSO is sure doing a "heck ofa job".
Not surprising at all ~
Well, where is the respect for U.S. law ???? There is none, so maybe they will respect a gun?? Washington refuses to do its job, so who will ??
Stinks! Smells like typical CYA political BS.
What do they mean giving immunity to a confessed drug runner AGAINST our border patrol. I smell a drug money payoff and think an investigation should concentrate on following the money.
Excuse my naivete, but if the drug runner was running away and told to halt, but kept on running, isn't that reason enough to shoot him in the buttocks? They did not kill the guy--just stopped him. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
I also believe the druggie's kinsman that he never ran drugs without a gun.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!
vaudine
Not surprising at all ~
What is NOT surprising is W's support of the PC-Idiot-Useless-POS, Chertoff and his refusal to consider firing him--long overdue.
Given the way DHS put together it's staff here in DC (hiring people with phoney degrees, and trailing baggage from Clinton scandals ~ for example, plus the assorted leftover sex criminals from Time magazine), I'm not surprised at anything.
Chertoff probably knows he has a big problem, but who does he fire first.
ping
Homeland Security also has the BATFE in it now...
DHS has such a hard on to smear these guys yet will not touch Rene Sanchez. Border Patrol Agent Rene Sanchez is a life long friend of the smuggler and conducted an unauthorized investigation into the case, met with the smuggler just before the shooting and is suspected of being dirty by at least one other Border Patrol Agent. If DHS is so up in arms about corruption then WITF did they give SBPA McClaren and Alvarez only five years in prison for working for a smuggling organization.
Himself! Blackbird.
The only reason they were prosecuted was for interfering with the free flow of controlled substances into the US. You cant have it both ways,we either have real border enforcement or we have the "War on Drugs" you decide. If we actually have real border enforcement and a fence before the NAFTA DRUG SUPER HIGHWAY is built it would cause cause a major decline in crime and drug enforcement,more than 50% of all Law Enforcement agencies would be fired, and of course lets not forget their support staff,and of course ASSET FORFEITURE. it would immediately reduce the size of Government by more than half, Our Prisons would be empty in no time,Where would all these LEO's and Prison Guards go??? What would our cities do without this Money seized from Controlled Substance Dealers??We all Know the 80% to 90% OF ALL CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES come across our southern border.According to the FBI and DEA.Until people stand up and start saying NOT GUILTY in all "controlled substance" cases it will not change. The Moral of this is simple WE NEED THE WAR ON DRUGS more then anything else and if you interfere you will be prosecuted, especially if you take action against a Government Sanctioned Courier such as this.
ps. I have $100 to your favorite charity if you can show I am wrong.
Eyeamok
I don't necessarily disagree with the rest of your post. Blackbird.
PS: BUILD THE DAMNED WALL!!!
Sorry, it has Nothing to do with Chertoff, he should be fired and then jailed for life for his role in this prosecution, along with the other Government Agents involved in this prosecution. Congress should hold Hearings and then trials and then executions for all involved. I was just trying to explain why this happened. And it will continue as long as we have "The War On Controlled Substances".
Giving immunity is exactly the same as offering a bribe to a witness. Granting immunity and plea bargaining in exchange for testimony should be a criminal offense.
Excuse my naivete, but if the drug runner was running away and told to halt, but kept on running, isn't that reason enough to shoot him in the buttocks? They did not kill the guy--just stopped him. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Where to begin? The didn't stop the drug runner, they shot the fleeing drug runner. The drug runner never fired on the agents. The agents emptied their guns at the drug runner though, then the agents never reported the incident until they discovered that their supervisors knew about it.
My questions are; Why was a single agent alone with the drug smuggler and out of sight of the other agent? Why did the agents partner wait until he heard gunshots before coming to his partners defense? Why did the agents come back and pocket the casings and clean up the crime sight before making their report?
Everything about this situation smells. My guess is that the cops and their bosses are corrupt. This is probably a disagreement on payoffs.
I sincerely hope Poe and the other three Congressmen have heard about the Sanchez connections and how the jury was severely limited by information withheld by the prosecutors (with the judge's blessing). The "do not pursue" order needs to be scrutinized as well.
If this ruling stands the entire Border Patrol will be rendered into neutered poodles - all show and no bite.
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