In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.
Bush’s decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.
Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.
Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes. Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.
Bush didn’t pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said.
Compean and Ramos, who have served about two years of their sentences, are expected to be released from prison within the next two months.
With the new acts of clemency, Bush has granted a total of 189 pardons and 11 commutations.
That’s fewer than half as many as Presidents Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan issued during their two-term tenures. Bush technically has until noon on Tuesday when President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office to exercise his executive pardon authority, but presidential advisers said no more were forthcoming.
Clinton issued a total of 457 in eight years in office. Bush’s father, George H. W. Bush, issued 77 in four years. Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and President Carter issued 563 in four years. Since World War II, the largest number of pardons and commutations-2,031-came from President Truman, who served 82 days short of eight years.
(Source: Associated Press)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
10 Responses
does this mean johnathan pollard wont be pardened?? why not?/ where is bush when we need him??
[email protected]
Here’s the email. Everyone, please write right now. Hatzlacha raba!
pls note-messge office is closed – no msgs will get through, as per person I got through to several moments ago. Will reopen sometime next week…let’s proceed with tefillah for J.P.-Yeshuas Hashem K’heref ayin.
So why aren’t you folk calling Bush an antisemite? If it were a Democrat who failed to commute Pollard that’s what you’d be doing.
maybe Yeshiva world can put on there front page for evreyone to email the president.
Yonson, who called Clinton an anti-semite for not commuting him?
Hashem has mercy,humans have self-interest. The President is a political person,only doing what is good for himself and his legacy. He cares more about what he can gain from others by his actions,using (or abusing) his power. Hashem does things with different considerations,as He has nothing to gain or lose.
Joseph – In 2001 it was not yet frum-chic to lay such accusations on a national political leader. That phenomenon is rather recent, no; came with the rise of an Afro-American presidential candidate.
what about pollard?????
No one gets it. Understand as long as Israel wants him shut up he won’t be getting free. Why should Bush or any US president free him when they were never asked by Israel to free him (or maybe even specifically told not to free him etc).