The Border Patrol Inquisition — This story, if true, is enough to make you sick. Who is running the country? This is the most amazing story since the Katrina botch. Sickening.
BE A BORDER Patrol agent: Do your job, go to prison. That’s how the job must look to agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean.
In February 2005, the agents tried to stop a van driven by drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila near the Mexico border. After a scuffle with Compean, Aldrete-Davila fled on foot. Ramos says he saw a gun — which the smuggler denies. Both agents fired at Aldrete-Davila, who fell, but continued his escape across the border. After he got away, Ramos and Compean filed a report on the 743 pounds of marijuana they found in the van, but not on the gunfire. As it turns out, Ramos had shot Aldrete-Davila in the butt. A Homeland Security agent heard about the episode, went to Mexico and offered Aldrete-Davila immunity, if he testified against Ramos and Compean.
U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, a Bush appointee, prosecuted the agents. In March, a jury found them guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, discharge of a firearm during a violent crime
found by Al Cole
f ***ing sick
I’m a cop and I don’t understand why they didn’t report the entire incident including the shots fired. If he’s a drug dealer with 700+ pounds of marijuana and running the border, he’s probably armed! Should they be prosecuted, NO. Should they be investigated, YES. What other incidents have they been involved in and not reported?
I know that if I shot at someone and didn’t report it and my administration found out, I’d be fired!
Yes, they fired their weapons and didn’t report that, so they should be investigated.
But by Homeland Security? And what’s the deal with this agent going to Mexico and offering this drug smuggler immunity? Who’s investigating THIS agent and his motives?
At what point do you throw out a broken bureaucracy and start fresh? True there should be repercussions for failing to file reports of lethal force, but the Homeland Security bit. Maybe we should start calling it the Fatherland Security, or better yet Vaterland. No offense intended to modern Germans.
Just a note for clarification: The FBI, who I assume conducted the interview in Mexico, is part of Homeland Security.
The fact that neither agent filed a shooting report strongly suggests law breaking on their part. The conviction obtained by the prosectution may have been from the case he could prove, instead of the case he couldn’t.
I assume these guys were really drug runners themselves and I assume that the guy they shot at was really an undercover police person posing as a drug runner. I assume also that he was trying to escape from these guys whom I assume was trying to murder him so he ran the only place he could, across the border into Mexico where I assume he contacted his co-FBI agents to come pick him up.
I assume you know Smith that assumptions can be used to really alter many things to suit our agenda.
As usual for me, lots of questions:
A Homeland Security agent heard about the episode,
How did the agent hear about it?
In March, a jury found them guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, discharge of a firearm during a violent crime, obstructing justice, lying about the incident
They lied when asked about the shooting.
…and willfully violating Aldrete-Davila’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from illegal seizure.
4th Amendment right? What were they trying to seize illegally? the pot? The smuggler? Is the smuggler a US citizen?
Later the agents picked up shell casings and failed to file a gunfire report.
Why hide evidence of the shooting if it was justified?
As Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof explained to the Sun, “It is a violation of Border Patrol regulations to go after someone who is fleeing.”
Because it is a PR nightmare when those vehicles jam-packed with illegal immigrants roll-over at high speed…
As my father, a CHP officer, often said: “They may be able to out-run my Patrol Car, but they can’t out-run my radio.”
They were wrong to not file a report. Discipline them. Fire them, even. But don’t send them to prison for decades for a bad split-second decision and failure to file a report.
“split second decision”? They picked-up the shell casings. They denied the shooting took place when questioned.
Did the HS agent offer immunity to the smuggler before, or after, they denied the shooting took place?
#6, And your agenda is?
Please tell me, oh Wise One, just who you “assume” the interviewer was? A Red Cross worker? An airport screener? But you are right; speculating other motives or crimes wasn’t necessary:
“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.”
That is more than enough reason to throw them in prison for twenty years.
My nephew spent three days in a hospital after first being handcuffed, then beaten by a police officer as he laid on the ground. Six other officers just stood around and watched. My nephew still has scars on his wrists where the cuffs cut him. His beating was for saying, “Do what you gotta do, officer,” when the officer asked him if he could search his pockets. I guess that taught him not to be a smart ass. Not to worry, though, the prosecuter dropped the “assault upon a police officer” charge.
#5, Smith, the FBI are NOT part of Homeland Insecurity. They are and always have been part of the Justice Department and ultimately responsible to the Attorney General.
And not only did the Agents not file a shooting report, but neither did any of the other officers involved nor their supervisor. None of them were charged or disciplined for failure to add this important aspect to their reports. Apparently this is quite common as the procedure and regulations for filing a firearm discharge report are quite onerous and time consuming.
The Agents have already been found guilty. Maybe Bush could show his dedication to stopping illegal immigration and the efforts to stop the illegal flow of drugs by pardoning these two officers BEFORE sentencing. They were only doing what has been asked of them. It was about 20 years ago that Bushes hero, Ronald Reagan, pardoned Oliver North for selling weapons to our enemy before he was even charged. Why do I think Bush believes North is more deserving then the two Border Agents protecting our country?
Mexican,
rushes the border,
with ALOT of MJ,
Gets chased,
Gets caught, Runs, gets shot AT while TRYING to get back over the border.
EVEN under the basis of Home land security, and the MAJOR security that is SUPPOSED to be in this country…
Unless the Mexican was a Legal residednt…
i wonder why the Border cops didn’t report it?
I’ll tell you why, ITS A DRUG DEAL GONE BAD. they deserve to go to jail+ possible treason charges
9 Apparently this is quite common as the procedure and regulations for filing a firearm discharge report are quite onerous and time consuming.
And how would you simplify the process?
9 They were only doing what has been asked of them.
I disagree.
According to you, what is asked of them is “quite onerous and time consuming”.
The article also mentions the agent’s disgust with the directive to not chase people, commenting: “No surprise, Border Patrol agents routinely ignore the regs.”
Doesn’t sound like they are all “doing what is asked of them”.
10 In a case with little physical evidence, the U.S. government has decided to take the word of a drug smuggler over that of U.S. law enforcement agents!
Probably because the agents lied when questioned.
“We denied the shooting ever took place, and even though you’ve caught us in that lie, you should still believe our version of what happened…”
#13, Mike, I am not in the position to simplify the process of reporting the discharge of a firearm. This is, generally, a necessary procedure for all police forces designed to cover the butts of superior officers.
They have been asked to guard our borders to stop illegal aliens from entering and contraband from crossing the border. That is their job. Filling out paperwork is a requirement of the job. Failure to properly complete paperwork is usually a disciplinary offense. Rarely may it be considered a criminal offense.
When the Bush Administration handcuffs the Border Guards or Police from doing their jobs then there is a problem. The problem is not with the agents or police though, but with those who really want to see them fail. If the courts were to accept the doctrine that a police agency could not chase someone, then there wouldn’t ever be another criminal conviction in this country. This has to be one of the silliest positions ever taken, by the administration or you.
I think there is much more to this story then we know. Recently a Federal Prosecutor asked for three years for a Border Agent who smuggled at least 130 illegal aliens into the country. Yet the US Probation Office has suggested a 20 year sentence for both Agents.
#12, joe, If there is any evidence that they were involved in a drug deal, then charge them with drug smuggling. To date this charge hasn’t been made. Maybe you could enlighten us beyond wild speculating and accusation.
To all of you out there that are finding reason to have these guys thrown in jail…
Remember the bigger picture. We are fighting a war on terror..and if you dont think its real..just start researching about Hezbollah / Al Quaeda in South America.
Why would they be there? Oh..maybe to breach an unsecure border…or maybe to acquire drugs to sell to dead-beat Americans to fund terrorism..and introduce them into the marketplace across our southern borders.
So these guys do their job…or is it? They violate some rules and should be investigated for it……BUT, they are US Border Patrol. They are there as a deterrent from illegal entry into the US. HELLO!! Keep the picture simple!!!
Do we give the illegal his Constitutional Rights??
Nope! Because he doesnt pay taxes, he doesnt vote here, nor is he a citizen here. His intention is to introduce narcotics into the general public. In no way is he contributing to the welfare of this country….On the contrary, he is an enemy……Too many ‘educated’ liberals are clouding the picture w/ rhetoric!
K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple stupid.
This is less serious than the shooting incident, but still an astoundingly chickens%$t action by Border Patrol supervisors. The only mention of this story I found was via Wonkette, which linked to the article below. The Congressman mentioned in the story deserves a swift kick in his porky political butt for not coming to the aid of the Agents he spoke with also.
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_4401381
To Whom It May Concern:
October 18, 2006
It is my understanding that your office has prosecuted Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean for carrying out their assigned duties. It is my opinion that the U.S. attorney and the judge should be prosecuted for wrongful prosecution and influencing a jury by threading to hold the jury until they came back with a verdict. It was reported that the jury was instructed that the court would not allow a hung jury and they would remain sequestered until they reached a verdict that the prosecutor and judge required.
If this is the case, your office has by these actions have damaged our legal system placing it on life support and changed it from what once was the worlds greatest legal system to what I can only compare to the kangaroo courts held by the third Reich that were convenient to their leaders such as the trials following what came to be known as the Crystal Night, and many more before the nightmare was ended.
Such a miscarriage of justice must not be allowed in our country and the influence of any group of people that is allowed to sway a prosecutor and/or judge in any legal proceedings can not be tolerated in a free society. When any minority has the power, be it directly by protesting, or indirectly by corporations whose only reason to interfere is the retention of cheap labor can convict officers of the court for doing nothing more than their job, it has come time for the real citizens of the United States to rise up with one voice and demand that such a miscarriage of justice by put right.
If those elected officials that will not comply legally, and within the boundaries of the law, then it is time for them to be replaced by the vote. I understand that most public officials believe that the average American is nothing more than blind sheep that will do, or go along with whatever the government or news media tell them to believe or do. However, there is a small but growing segment of our population that is fed up with the status quote, and will rebel with their vote.
Currently this number is small compared to the overall population, but it is on the rise, thanks to those elected officials such as the judge presiding over the US Attorneys case against these two Border Patron officers that did nothing more that what they were hired to do. Protect our country against any intrusion of anyone attempting to gain illegal access to our country, and to do harm by smuggling illegal narcotics.
Sincerely,
Karen E. Johansen
Cc; cnn, nbc, abc, cbs, fox news, wj,
Governor of Texas
UPDATE:
EL PASO, Texas. – The former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a drug smuggler in the buttocks last year were sentenced Thursday – Ignacio Ramos to 11 years and a day in prison and Jose Alonso Compean to 12 years – but allowed to remain free on bail at least until mid-January.
http://dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4519632
Steve