October 24, 2006

You Don't Speak for Me! (YDSFM), a national alliance of American Hispanics, reacted to Friday's harsh sentencing of Border Patrol Officers Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, calling the long prison sentences, "a gross miscarriage of justice that is not supported by the vast majority of Americans of Hispanic heritage." The two Border Patrol agents received more than a decade each in prison stemming from a 2005 incident in which they wounded a Mexican drug smuggler who had physically assaulted them, and who then attempted to flee back into Mexico.

"We believe that the Justice Department's decision to prosecute these two brave law enforcement officers was politically motivated, and that the government's decision to seek harsh prison sentences for Ramos and Compean is nothing less than a disgrace," said retired Col. Al Rodriguez, chairman of YDSFM. "This administration, bowing to special interest pressures and pressure from the Mexican government, has made it very clear that they do not intend to enforce our borders. With the prosecution and long prison sentences handed out to Agents Ramos and Compean, they are making it very clear to the men and women who patrol our borders that they could be punished severely for anything more than a token effort to stop people from crossing our borders illegally."

In February 2005, Ramos and Compean, while on duty, attempted to stop Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, a known drug smuggler from entering the U.S. Aldrete-Davila assaulted the officers as they were attempting to arrest him and, believing that he was armed and posed a threat to their safety, the officers fired at Aldrete-Davila and wounded him. "Had Ramos and Compean been serving in any other police force in America and encountered a dangerous criminal such as Aldrete-Davila, they would have received commendations, not more than a decade behind bars," charged Rodriguez. "This prosecution and severe sentencing has politics written all over it, and two honorable men and their families face enormous suffering to appease a handful of special interests and the Mexican government."

YDSFM has joined with congressional leaders from both parties and other national organizations promoting immigration enforcement in demanding that the convictions of Ramos and Compean be overturned and that their cases be dropped in light of new evidence. A website, www.justicefortheborderpatrol.com has been established to seek justice for Ramos and Compean and to assist their families as they face this personal crisis.

"A disproportionate number of American Hispanics live in areas of the country close to our lawless borders. These Americans face the consequences of crime, drains on public services and other problems related to illegal immigration on a daily basis," noted Rodriguez. "Like all Americans, citizens of Hispanic heritage want the government to untie the hands of the Border Patrol so that they can do their jobs protecting the security of the nation. Most of all, we are outraged at the miscarriage of justice that has turned two dedicated public servants into sacrificial lambs for the administration's political agenda," Rodriguez concluded.

For more information please contact Ira Mehlman (213) 700-0407.