By Douglas J. Hagmann
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Joe Loya, father-in-law of former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos, slipped quietly in to prison to visit his son-in-law, Monday. There was no media present, there were no politicians, only "Nacho", as Ramos is affectionately known to his family and friends. Mr. Loya described "Nacho" as looking diminutive and even lost in his orange, prison-issued jumpsuit that is a few sizes too large for his frame. The pain in his voice was evident as he described the appearance of his son-in-law.
With the worry of prison on her mind, Ignacio's devoted wife is finding it harder to sleep at night. Joe Loya was hoping to be able to ease his daughter's mind about her husband's physical and emotional state with this visit. Instead of seeing agent Ramos in good health and spirits, the imprisoned Border Patrol agent still had the black, blue, and greenish-purple bruises all over the left side of his body, and even-God help us-the imprints of the very shoes of his attackers from the savage beating he endured some 11 days ago at the hands of a half-dozen fellow inmates in the prison to which he was transferred.
Although no one in any official capacity will verify it, "off-the-record" information obtained from my inquiries suggest something that Mr. Loya already suspects: his attackers, or the majority of them, are illegal aliens themselves and in prison for the very crimes Agent Ramos fought so hard to protect this country against.
Two senators have already visited Ramos in jail, and it appears that about 100 lawmakers have signed a petition asking President George W. Bush to release Ignacio Ramos and Border Patrol agent Jose Compean from their prison terms of more than a decade each. There are murderers, drug dealers, terrorists, and child molesters with lesser sentences in our prisons today.
Word also came Tuesday from Bush communications director Tony Snow that the long awaited court transcripts will be released soon. But talk and politics will not remove the haunted look from Nacho's eyes. Even the love of a father-in-law cannot remove the pain and humiliation of a prison beating.
At heart Ignacio Ramos is a husband, a father and a son-in-law. A proudly loyal employee of the United States government, who was doing what he thought was his job one day, and in a federal prison the next--placed in prison by the very country he bravely and relentlessly defended. We should be ashamed of ourselves and the very system that placed these men--agents Ramos and Compean-- in prison as common criminals.
Prison officials put him in solitary confinement, where he spends 23 hours a day, purportedly to keep the former law enforcement official safe from the other inmates who consider the imprisoned agent a desirable target.
This small, cramped space is nothing more than a metal and concrete closet. In fact, it was in such a concrete closet called "solitary confinement", that Agent Ramos spent his initial hours after being severely beaten--a full 48 hours before being examined by any medical personnel.
The indignities he has suffered include the theft of his prescription eyeglasses, replaced by ill-fitting prison-issued eyeglasses through which he can barely see. It was not until Mr. Loya verbally petitioned the prison staff that "Nacho" began receiving needed medication for a pre-existing medical condition, which was withheld from him until that time. More thanks from an ungrateful nation.
It is both sad and ironic to think that suspected terrorists at Guantanamo are being provided with better accommodations than Agent Ramos. It is truly sad to see this symbol of American law enforcement reduced to the same status of the criminals he protected this country from.
After two-decades of attending trials and working within the court system, I have never seen a human tragedy of this order. Those who believe that proper justice has been served upon Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean are not aware of the facts of their case.
During our conversation, I made a promise to the humble, hard-working and forever faithful Joe Loya - a promise that I intend to keep. The very uncomfortable facts surrounding the surreal plight of agents Ramos and Compean will be thoroughly outlined within future articles, with facts developed and verified by the research and investigation I conduct in conjunction with Judi McLeod, the founder and editor of Canada Free Press. Our collective findings will substantiate the fact that there are two innocent men in prison for doing their jobs--for attempting to keep the United States safe from illegal aliens of the worst kind.
Equally disturbing findings from our joint investigation will be offered in detail, and should shake to the core every American who is concerned about justice, the integrity of our judicial system, the actions of our government officials, and the pure corruption that needs to be exposed in order for justice to be served.
Meanwhile, please take a minute to visit the site dedicated to assisting Agent Ramos and his family, a family devastated by an unconscionable perversion of justice: www.agentramos.com.
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement