Marijuana.com

Plainsman1963

Pardons For Drug Dealers, Jail For Border Patrol Agents
01-11-07 | CorruptionChronicles.Com

President George W. Bush has pardoned 14 criminals, including several drug dealers and a man convicted for bombing a coal mine, but he refused to pardon two U.S. Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison for intercepting an illegal immigrant drug smuggler at the Texas-Mexico border last year.

Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were guarding the Mexican border near El Paso in February 2005 when they intercepted a van loaded with 743 pounds of marijuana. The admitted drug smuggler, an illegal alien named Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, tried to flee and one of the agents shot him in the buttocks though he still got away.

Federal prosecutors actually went to Mexico and offered the drug dealer immunity to testify against the Border Patrol agents who were subsequently convicted on charges of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm and violating the drug smuggler’s civil rights. The agents were sentenced to 11 and 12-year prison terms.

The Department of Justice claims that the defendants were prosecuted because they fired their weapons at a man who had attempted to surrender by holding his open hands in the air, causing the man to run in fear of what the agents would do to him next. One U.S. Attorney involved in the case said that it is a violation of Border Patrol regulations to go after someone who is fleeing, even if it is a drug kingpin or a terrorist.

Lawmakers from both parties were outraged and one Congressman called the convictions a travesty of justice beyond description. The White House has received at least 50 requests for presidential pardons from members of Congress and hundreds of thousands of additional requests from outraged citizens who feel the agents have been wrongly punished for doing their job. One group alone, calling it an outrageous injustice, got more than 130,000 signatures requesting a presidential pardon.

The president has ignored the pleas, instead freeing a bunch of drug dealers and a violent criminal while two Border Patrol agents go to prison for protecting their country from drug smugglers.

 

nacrypt

Ha ha!

Give those officers a taste of their own medicine.

reggie_the_dog

Hold on a minute. These folks are border patrol agents. These are the cops that I do not mind being searched by BECAUSE THEIR JOB IS TO SECURE OUR FRONTIER, its also why I do not cross federal borders with drugs.

So what taste of their own medecine are you talking about??? They found an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SMUGGLING DRUGS, tried to bust him, and were sent to jail themselves for shooting him in the ass when he ran away.

Correct me if I am wrong but can't police use such force against people suspected of committing a felony if there is reason to believe that the person has a weapon. Seeing as someone is driving around with over 700 pounds of weed, reasonably 350 to 700 THOUSAND US DOLLARS WORTH OF CANNABIS, they may be reasonably expected to be carrying a concealed weapon.

I would probably not defend the police had this involved a random checkpoint, or a case of being searched for being Mexican, but THESE COPS WORK ON THE BORDER.

Buzzby

How, exactly, were they protecting their country by shooting an unarmed, fleeing man in the back(side)? They violated the law and their own departmental regulations.

I don't know the stories of the 14 people who were pardoned, but these two were clearly going way beyond their authority, taking it upon themselves to use excessive force.

__________________

reggie_the_dog

"but these two were clearly going way beyond their authority, taking it upon themselves to use excessive force."

True

Today these agents have competition known as the Minutemen I believe, and lots of folks say the border patrol is too weak etc. They get lots of hype in their job about "terrorists" and "smugglers" being linked. There are frequently gunfights, massacres of smugglers, drug dealers etc. just across from El Paso , a true gang war if you want. Border patrol on both sides likely involved in smuggling. If they believe the propaganda they are likely fed at work, and link dealing with terrorism, they would likely consider the dealer a possible terrorist link as well, and then figure "well there is a war on terrorism".

How many innocent civilians has George W. Bush killed in Afganistan, Iraq, and now Somalia, by allowing and encouraging his army to bomb, invade, or othewise kill in these countries???? A lot more than the 3,000 killed on September 11th (the pearl harbor like incident the PNAC was waiting for). He then will not pardon 2 border guards for shooting an illegal alien smuggling 700 pounds of illegal drugs in the ass???

I could see firing them, but the whole system is so fucked up in the USA, that I do not think you should only go after the little guy.

So why did Bush have the sudden change of heart???

Perhaps he likes seeing the drugs come in??

 

troublemaker_42

I completely agree with the end result here. Border Patrol and any and all officers of the law are public servents. When they get gung-ho enough to fire on unarmed people attempting to FLEE(not FIGHT), God damned right they should be punished, to the full extent of the law. A badge and a gun are tools for ENFORCING the law, not MAKING it, BENDING it, or, in this case TOTALLY DISREGARDING IT. I don't care how badly they want to catch 'the bad guys" they CANNOT be allowed to do as they please, and get away with it. Shooting at an unarmed man attempting to run is barbaric, cowardly, and the act of a complete degenerate. I've stuck up for LEO's countless times in these forums, but this is something I find completely inexcusable. it wasn't someone trying to "do their job" that got "a little carried away". This was a criminal act, and they are being treated as they should be--as criminals.