It’s hard to imagine that we have reached a point where the word of a known drug-smuggler is given more weight by the Bush Administration than that of two Border Patrol agents – but that’s exactly what has happened. As Osvaldo Aldrete Davila received his 9 ½ years prison sentence yesterday, two Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, remained in jail. The fact that this drug smuggler received a lighter sentence than the two border agents is in itself mystifying. But when you consider the circumstances that led to this debacle, it defies conventional wisdom for the President to stand idly by while these two agents remain in jail.

For those not familiar with this story, Davila was given immunity from an earlier drug smuggling offense by the federal government in exchange for testimony against Ramos and Compean. As that proceeding took place, Davila continued to participate in drug smuggling operations resulting in his second conviction which he was sentenced for today – a little more than a week after a federal appeals court upheld Ramos and Compean’s lengthy sentences. It is astonishing that the word of a drug smuggler convicted of multiple charges would be sentenced to less time in prison than two Border Patrol agents who have spent their life guarding a perennial warzone. These agents and their families have endured enough, and the time is long since past for President Bush to do the right thing and pardon them without any further delay.

Let’s also not forget the demoralizing effect that President Bush’s failure to act is having on the Border Patrol. We ask these men and woman to put themselves at harm’s risk every single day, yet this White House is making perfectly clear they would rather stand with a convicted drug smuggler rather than support our border agents. Considering that just yesterday, four Mexican agents crossed the Arizona border and held a Border Patrol agent at gunpoint, there couldn’t be a more important time for this White House to demonstrate its commitment to our law enforcement community.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 1:57 pm and is filed under Politics, Homeland Security, The Administration .