Home > The Border Line > Archives > 2007 > December > 20
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Lawmakers ask Bush for Christmastime clemency for Ramos and Compean
A bipartisan group of lawmakers asked President Bush this week to commute the sentences of two former Border Patrol agents serving long sentences for shooting and wounding a Mexican drug dealer and trying to cover it up.
The lawmakers — Reps. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas (pictured), Ted Poe, R-Texas, Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and William Delahunt, D-Mass. — asked Bush in a letter to act quickly so that the two men could spend Christmas home with their families.
The agents — Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos — are serving 12 and 11 years in prison, respectively. Their case has become a cause celebre among conservative websites, talk radio shows and groups that advocate tougher border controls. Supporters say that the agents were wrongly convicted for protecting the United States against criminal intruders.
The White House released a new list of presidential pardons and commutations last week which did not include two former Border Patrol agents.
In the letter, the lawmakers tell the president that the average sentence in cases of manslaughter in 2006 was less than four years and for assault, less than three years.
“Mr. President, in this light, it is clear that the sentences imposed on agents Ramos and Compean are profoundly disproportionate based on the totality of the circumstances and sentencing guidelines. Their sentences were, quite simply, a gross miscarriage of justice,” the letter says.
Adding: “Mr. President, we respectfully request that you correct this injustice. We ask that you immediately commute the sentences of Ramos and Compean to time served so that they can spend Christmas at home with their families.”
Other members of Congress — including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas — have asked President Bush to pardon the agents or commute their sentences. Last week, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers in the House introduced a resolution asking for the immediate commutation of Compean and Ramos’ sentences.
The prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton of the Western District of Texas, has staunchly defended the case.
Tancredo makes it official; endorses Mitt Romney
Rep. Tom Tancredo announced Thursday he is dropping out of the GOP presidential race and plans to endorse rival Mitt Romney.
Tancredo, a five-term congressman from Colorado who became famous for his fight against illegal immigration, made the announcement at a press conference in downtown Des Moines.
“I’m doing two things that I believe are in the best interests of this cause, and that cause is, of course, a secure America. I am withdrawing from the race and I’m endorsing Governor Romney for president of the United States,” Tancredo said.
Tancredo’s signature issue — the fight against illegal immigration — has become a major theme in the GOP presidential contest.
All leading candidates — including Romney, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee — are spending time and money trying to prove they are tough on illegal immigration.
Tancredo never made it passed the single digits in the polls, but his focus on illegal immigration helped make it a prominent issue in the race.
He ran two controversial ads which linked immigration to terrorism and violent crimes.
To read more, click here.
To read a profile of Tom Tancredo, click here.
Study: Hispanic voters to increase by 23 percent in 2008
About 9.3 million Latino voters will go to the polls in 2008, an increase of 23 percent compared to 2004, according to a new study by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California.
“As the U.S. Latino population surges, we are seeing increases in registration and voter turnout due to increased naturalization numbers by Latino immigrants beginning in the 1990s and Latino youth coming of voting age,” said Harry Pachon, president of the institute.
Political experts say that Hispanic voters could make a difference in potential battleground states, including Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Analysts also say that an increase in Hispanic voters would most likely benefit Democrats because Hispanics generally favor that party 2-to-1 over Republicans. In addition, a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center showed that Republicans have lost support among Hispanics over the past year.
To read the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute report, click here.
AP: Tancredo to bow out
Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado plans to abandon his long-shot bid for the presidency, a person close to Tancredo said, according to the Associated Press.
AP did not identify the person.
Tancredo is holding a press conference today in downtown Des Moines, Iowa to “make a major announcement regarding the campaign.”
Tancredo’s signature issue — the fight against illegal immigration — has become a major theme in the GOP presidential contest and several candidates may be seeking his endorsement.
All leading candidates — including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee — are spending time and money trying to prove they are tough on illegal immigration.
To read more, click here.
To read a profile of Tom Tancredo, click here.