Spring Break
Bush commutes sentences of former U.S. border agents
Deb Riechmann - Associated Press
Issue date: 1/20/09 Section: News
WASHINGTON - In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.
Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.
Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005. The former border guards in El Paso, Texas, are expected to be released from prison within the next two months.
"After four years of fighting this, it's taken a toll on me and my daughter, and really the whole family," said Joe Loya, Ramos' father-in law, who has received tens of thousands of supportive e-mails and spent much of the past two years traveling the country to speak about the case.
He said his daughter, Monica Ramos, called from New York after learning the news that her husband was to be released from a federal prison just outside Phoenix.
"She could hardly speak," Loya said.
Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes.
Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.
Former Colorado U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo campaigned tirelessly for the men, and his successor, GOP Rep. Mike Coffman, hailed Bush's decision.
"I commend former Congressman Tom Tancredo who never lost hope and never quit working for their release," Coffman said in a statement Monday. "Without his determined efforts, this day may never have come."
Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said.
Compean and Ramos were convicted of shooting admitted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the buttocks as he fled across the Rio Grande, away from an abandoned van load of marijuana.
The border agents argued during their trials that they believed the smuggler was armed and that they shot him in self defense.
Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.
Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005. The former border guards in El Paso, Texas, are expected to be released from prison within the next two months.
"After four years of fighting this, it's taken a toll on me and my daughter, and really the whole family," said Joe Loya, Ramos' father-in law, who has received tens of thousands of supportive e-mails and spent much of the past two years traveling the country to speak about the case.
He said his daughter, Monica Ramos, called from New York after learning the news that her husband was to be released from a federal prison just outside Phoenix.
"She could hardly speak," Loya said.
Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes.
Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.
Former Colorado U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo campaigned tirelessly for the men, and his successor, GOP Rep. Mike Coffman, hailed Bush's decision.
"I commend former Congressman Tom Tancredo who never lost hope and never quit working for their release," Coffman said in a statement Monday. "Without his determined efforts, this day may never have come."
Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said.
Compean and Ramos were convicted of shooting admitted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the buttocks as he fled across the Rio Grande, away from an abandoned van load of marijuana.
The border agents argued during their trials that they believed the smuggler was armed and that they shot him in self defense.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jaun
posted 1/20/09 @ 7:08 PM MST
Thats great news !
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