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January 19, 2007
Pardon for Border Patrol Agents?
Yesterday, Bill Hing posted a notice about the conviction of two border patrol agents who shot an unarmed immigrant drug smuggler and tried to cover it up.
Today, it is reported that Rep. Duncan Hunter introduced a bill on Thursday to pardon the men. In an interview on El Paso radio, Bush indicated that in this case as all others, he'd follow the process for pardons, looking at the evidence in the case. A link to the story is here.
There is a certain irony to this bill. Rep. Duncan is concerned about illegal immigration and has frequently indicated that he would like to see our nation's laws enforced. But I guess that's only our immigration laws and not laws against assault with a deadly weapon, or civil rights laws. In this case, a jury convicted the men of violating those laws. Has the perceived need for enforcement of immigration and drug law enforcement become so important that it trumps all other illegalities?
-jmc
January 19, 2007 | Permalink
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Comments
"But I guess that's only our immigration laws and not laws against assault with a deadly weapon, or civil rights laws."
Well, JMC, you, professor Hing and professor Johnson seem to groan every time illegal aliens are arrested and deported. It's rather hypocritical to criticize the enforcement of the codes relating to immigration and then complain about others when they disagree with rulings on their pet issues, in this case ill advised convictions. If you had read the facts of the case, it boiled down to the word of a plea bargaining drug dealer against a that of a decorated border patrol agent and another with an excellent record. The Justice Department had a choice of pressing charges against drug dealer or prosecuting otherwise faultless government employees, but he chose to persecute the latter. The result has been the demoralization of the entire border patrol. to continue, the drug dealer escaped to Mexico after receiving lead in the butt, and leaving a sizeable amount of drugs behind. He was then caught doing the same crime and given immunity for his testimony against the border agents. Some of the jury members felt that they had been advised that conviction or equittal were their only options. The outcome could otherwise resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury if some had voted the way they understood the facts and testimony. Do your homework before you comment s'il vous plez. This case has a great chance to be overturned on appeal.
This thing has been in the press for the past few months, but all of you seem to have been oblivious to this sensational case.
Posted by: Horace | Jan 19, 2007 6:27:40 PM
There may be more to the story than you think:
"[Rep. Michael] McCaul [R-TX, a former federal prosecutor] said the [DHS] inspector general's aides told him and three Texas colleagues that the Border Patrol agents, Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos, had admitted to investigators that they "intended to shoot Mexicans" and knew the man fleeing them was unarmed and posed no threat, when they fired on him 15 times near Fabens, Texas."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4481939.html
Posted by: Daniel M. Kowalski | Jan 20, 2007 6:17:18 AM
Yeah, Kowalski,
It's really plausible that these two are dumb enough to state that they were hunting Mexicans. None of that apparently came out at trial, or it would have been all over the papers. Get real and stop letting your personal biases interfere with your cognitive functions.
Posted by: Horace | Jan 20, 2007 6:55:25 AM
We have a shortage of folks who want to do law enforcement and now we take the words of a drug dealer to heart. Wow. It will be hard to find anyone with integrity and half a brain will not be willing to work for the idiots who take the word of a criminal over theirs. Talk about a witch hunt! Why in good conscience can the public not reflect on how stupid this is? There is a reports for years about this war zone we call our border, do ya all remember that when yuo are comfy and safe chatting on the internet? How many Americans actually risk their life for anyone else in this world????? Plenty of them are willing to support the slave class of illegal immigrants, can't get by without a some fast food!
Posted by: Safe at Home? | Feb 7, 2007 11:08:50 PM
