Cole Praises Decision on Border Patrol Agents

Cole Praises Decision on Border Patrol Agents
Says Commutations Fall Short of Full Justice

WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) gave the following statement after receiving word that President Bush commuted the sentences of border patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. In October 2006, Ramos and Compean were each sentenced to more than a decade in prison after shooting an illegal immigrant who was believed to have been armed while transporting hundreds of pounds of marijuana into the country.

"I appreciate the decision by the President to commute the sentences of Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. The sentences they received were excessive and harsh. But I wish the President would have issued a full pardon and completely cleared the names of these two American patriots. These men were simply doing their job - so the guilty verdict they received was, in my opinion, unjust. Justice would have been more fully served with both a commutation of the sentence as well as a full pardon."

In December, Cole sent a letter to the President asking him to pardon the men and commute their sentences before leaving the White House.

###