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July 19, 2007
Will former border agents Ramos and Compean get a commutation?
Following up on this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the prosecution and sentencing of former border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean (basics here), this Dallas Morning News article reviews the mounting calls for sentencing justice in the case. Here is a snippet:
Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asked Mr. Bush to commute the 11- and 12-year sentences of agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean in a case that has become a flash point for groups campaigning against illegal immigration. So far, the White House won't say whether the agents can expect mercy of the sort Mr. Bush recently granted to former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
"This penalty levied on these agents is excessive and ... they deserve the immediate exercise of your executive clemency powers," the senators wrote Mr. Bush, one day after Ms. Feinstein chaired a hearing at which senators grilled the Bush-appointed West Texas prosecutor who handled the case. "We believe that this is a case of prosecutorial overreaching, and to allow Agents Ramos and Compean to serve over a decade in prison would represent a serious miscarriage of justice."
The full text of the letter that the Senators sent to the President can be found within this official press release.
Some prior posts about the Border Agents case:
July 19, 2007 at 11:42 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Was Libby's sentence too harsh under the Guidelines or were the border agents' sentences too harsh under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws? The answer to both is no. But were both sentences too harsh after looking at the offender and offense facts? The answer to both is probably yes.
Instead of demanding "immediate exercise of ... executive clemency powers," Congress should be evaluating the SOURCE of these excessive sentences...THEMSELVES.
Why do Libby and the border agents deserve special treatment? They were sentenced just like any other defendant would have been under the Guidelines or mand. mins. Relief is needed for all defendants in the criminal justice system, and should not depend on who their former boss was (i.e., respectively, the VP and fed. law enforcement).
Posted by: DEJ | Jul 20, 2007 11:26:40 AM
DEJ, I couldn't agree with you more. Honestly, I cannot understand for the life of me why these so-call legal scholars cannot put any pressure on the people who enacted these laws. Are the scholars really that powerless? I think most legal experts agrees that the laws are harsh. So why is it so hard for these so-call experts to get any thing change. If they were to tell me that it's really not that easy then explain this. These laws has been on the book since 1986. The Supreme Court has recently made rulings that take more rights away from people. If this is the case and congress are too chicken to address this for all people and not the lucky ones. Then it time, someone look into the possibility of getting some of the justices impeach. This country is so divided and yet only one view control the system. Some Democracy huh!
Posted by: Joe | Jul 20, 2007 12:34:16 PM
