Ramos and Compean Released from Prison

Written by Ann Shibler

Wednesday, 18 February 2009 20:15

Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, having served two years of their 11- and 12-year sentences for shooting an illegal drug smuggler in their capacity as U.S. Border Patrol agents, have been released from prison.

President George Bush commuted their sentences on January 19, his last full day in office, with both prison sentences to end on March 20. The actual prison term is cut short, but the conviction remains unless a pardon or an action by the Supreme Court can be obtained in the future.

Oddly, Ramos and Compean will serve the remaining 31 days under house arrest, and Ramos under supervised release for up to three years. Until the prison sentence ends, the Bureau of Prisons has restricted Ramos from having any contact with the press. But he is home and in the loving arms of his family. His first words to his wife, Monica: “I love you.”

Jose and Patty Compean, who had a child while her husband was in prison, were spending their first day back, together and quietly, so that Jose could meet his new baby. He too, is under a gag order until March 20.

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and his staff, as well as Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), worked tirelessly for well over a year on behalf of Ramos and Compean. Rohrabacher spearheaded an informal grass-roots and personal campaign to get the two wrongly convicted agents out of prison; he already thanked Bush for the commutation when Bush left office.

Rohrabacher issued this statement saying, “At last, Ramos and Compean have been rightfully reunited with their families. This day is long overdue. I wish the Ramos and Compean families the best as they now try to pick up the pieces and begin to heal from this terrible ordeal.”

Both the Ramos and Compean families say they will not rest until the convictions are wiped off the record, and both men are totally vindicated of any wrongdoing. That process has already been started by their lawyer, David Botsford, who has asked the Supreme Court to review the convictions on the remaining counts that the Fifth Circuit did not set aside.

Welcome home, gentlemen, welcome home.