PRESS RELEASE:

Chesapeake, VA—For its part in the “Ramos and Compean Day of Support,” Grassfire.org is directing its 1 million plus members to phone and fax both the White House and The U.S. Pardon Attorney demanding a commutation for imprisoned Border Agents “Nacho” Ramos and Jose Compean.

“The President isn’t going to pardon Ramos and Compean,” says Steve Elliott, President of Grassfire.org Alliance. “So we’re joining a move calling for a commutation of their sentences in an effort to have these men freed and returned to their families as soon as possible.”

In addition to thousands of expected phone calls and faxes, Grassfire is delivering 425,000 petitions to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. “This is it for Ramos and Compean,” says Elliott. “We are emptying the tank for them. They stood for us in one of the most dangerous areas in the nation, and now we have an opportunity to stand up for them. I’m hopeful that our petitions, phone calls and faxes will grab the attention of the pardon attorney and this travesty can be righted, because we are running out of time.”

Grassfire believes the government overzealously prosecuted Ramos and Compean after they shot fleeing drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila. Both agents were convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) a law written to increase the penalties when a violent criminal carries or uses a weapon during the commission of a crime. As Elliott says, “The law was never intended to be applied to law enforcement officers who use their weapons within the scope of their duties.”

For more information about Grassfire.org, or to schedule an interview with Grassfire President Steve Elliott, contact Ron De Jong at 757-487-7900 or email Ron De Jong

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