As this article is being written there are two United States Border Patrol Agents sitting in prison. A Mexican criminal, a drug smuggler, has received immunity from the Department of Justice in order to secure his testimony against the two agents. Thousands of Americans are desperately trying to obtain a pardon for Border Patrol agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos. But are the efforts of the thousands who are seeking a pardon for these men justified?
When it comes to the issue of Illegal Immigration Americans are desperate for heroes. A word, a mention, a gesture, a bill proposed, a law passed which seemingly aligns itself with anti-illegal immigration group’s sends millions of hungry Americans into a fervor - someone in a position of power has heard them and something may actually be done. All too often these gestures, statements, bills and laws are merely windows-dressing by those who are peddling hope to capture public support shortly before election. Once the vote is cast and the election results are recorded politicians are back to business-as-usual with excuses and delays as to why the immigration issue cannot be handled with priority. This conduct is not exclusive to either party.
America needs heroes. In the absence of true heroism Americans will seemingly settle for anyone that can be shaped to fit the need of the moment. America is in grave danger when its people begin to pick and choose its heroes by pruning out facts that are not flattering to those they are attempting to canonize. These agents fired fifteen times at an unarmed, fleeing man - that’s a fact.
Would any policeman in any town in the United States be pardoned for beating or firing on a neighborhood pusher who tried to flee, was unarmed, and attempted to surrender? Would any Soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan be forgiven for assaulting or firing on an unarmed and surrendering insurgent? Yet many organizations are seeking to obtain pardons for these crimes from President Bush for the former Border patrol agents. To his credit (and much to the anger of many Americans who scant know more than the outrageousness the media has thus far presented) President Bush has not issued a pardon for these agents. Naturally in the age of perception makes right, Congressmen are actively attempting to usurp the Executive privilege to pardon that is reserved to the President under Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution.
One would think that with Congressmen going to such extraordinary measures to force these men’s freedom, that someone one would have taken the time to read the court transcripts to see if these two men were truly innocent? Public anger is understandable since the typical “hero’s” are in jail while a drug smuggler - an illegal alien no less - stands to make millions of dollars for a violation of his civil rights.
Many Americans are disgusted with the Bush administration’s desire to force amnesty on the American people. The President has been steadfast in his “comprehensive plan” to quell illegal migration. A plan which amounts to nothing more than a form of earned amnesty for criminals. Millions of illegal Mexican who have violated American law, undeservedly succored on American charity, cheated the American economy, and taken jobs away from American citizens are poised to be awarded citizenship that they’ve done nothing to deserve. Politicians throughout the nation feel that illegal aliens are owed some path to citizenship because of the taxes they paid whilst illegally holding employment in the United States. Yet Americans are owed no sense of allegiance from their politicians? The outrage over the complacency and complicity of the President of the United States, Congress, and nearly all levels of state government has sentiment over illegal immigration nearing its boiling point.
Could the movement around Ramos and Compean simply be a byproduct of the American people’s frustration toward their government? Are Americans capable of excusing the actions of these men to make a statement to an administration that seemingly cares more about Iraqi confidence in their government’s ability to protect and preserve Iraq, than the American people’s confidence in its own leadership to protect and preserve America?
The Ramos and Compean trial lasted two and a half weeks and ended with a conviction by jury. A jury found that there was” no credible” evidence that the agent’s lives were in danger to justify the use of force. A jury found that Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, the Mexican drug smuggler who was shot in the buttocks, had no weapon to warrant the use of deadly force. Further, additional agents on the scene have testified under oath that they did not believe there was a threat that warranted drawing their pistols. Yet the facts of the case, some would insist, have been manipulated to wrongfully entrap these valorous men who were just doing their duty.
Sworn testimony, official court statements, press releases and trial transcripts are readily available via the US Attorney General District of West Texas’s website. Point by point the “facts” of the case as presented by “Save the Agents” groups are in complete contrast to the official records those listed by the US Attorney General.
Someone is lying.
Either the US Attorney General for the District of West Texas, 12 jurors, two additional border patrol agents, and one judge are heartlessly lying to “get” these two agents for some dark motive or agenda, or these cause groups are using this event to elicit donations and pull media attention back to the border. Media attention that was lost when the majority of the politicians who responded to their pressure lost their offices in the last election.
Surely the current law providing a criminal with an opportunity to profit from committing a series of criminal offenses is unfair. But are these imprisoned men innocent of all wrong doing? Do they deserve a Presidential pardon for the conduct? Do they warrant violating the Constitution’s Separation of Powers to free them? These are important questions. Questions that the “Save the Agents” groups never seem to want to bring up or ask.