Tancredo Demands Pardon for Border Agents

Statement

Says new Bush pardons missed the mark

( WASHINGTON, D.C. ) - U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today demanded U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean be granted a full pardon in the wake of President Bush's "March Madness."

"Mr. Bush commuted the sentence of yet another drug dealer, but not the agents who were on our front lines of defense against terrorists and coyotes," Tancredo said. "I'm starting to think they would have a better chance of getting the President's attention if they had helped smuggle in the pot."

Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean were sentenced to 11 and 12 years in federal prison, respectively, for wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across the U.S. border. The two agents were prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton and the illegal drug smuggler was granted immunity, provided free health care and given border crossing cards to testify against the agents. President Bush pardoned 15 people Tuesday and commuted the prison sentence of another, a convicted crack-cocaine dealer. He has refused to pardon or commute the sentences of the "Border Two."

Tancredo concluded, "It is downright shameful that Mr. Bush is allowing two border patrol heroes, who have kept millions of dollars worth of drugs off the street, to rot in prison with the dealers and smugglers they have spent their careers fighting. They should be home watching March Madness with their families, rather than being a part of the President's perverse pardon version of it."

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