Rohrabacher says president’s pardons wrong

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has been vociferously criticizing President Bush for not pardoning two border patrol agents convicted of shooting Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, an admitted drug smuggler, in 2005 near the Texas-Mexico border.

Bush pardoned 14 people and commuted the sentences of two others Monday, but did not pardon Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, who are serving sentences of 12 and 11 years in prison, respectively.

By allowing the men to serve prison time for firing at Davila, the administration is sending a message to all border patrol agents that they should not use their guns, even when they’re justified in doing so, according to Rohrabacher spokeswoman Tara Setmayer.

Ramos and Compean contended that they were shooting at Davila out of self-defense, and Rohrabacher thinks they were in the right, Setmayer said.

The agents were convicted of shooting an unarmed man and lying about it.

Since the very beginning of the men’s cases Rohrabacher and Setmayer have been staunch advocates for them, appearing on television and at rallies throughout the district.

“The fact that the president has neglected to free these men from their imprisonment while freeing drug dealers, embezzlers and other criminals is insulting to the American people who have been begging and pleading for the president to release the agents whose prosecution was unjust from the beginning,” Rohrabacher said in a written statement.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.