Jose Compean

José Alonso Compeán (born in 1976) is a former United States Border Patrol Agent, convicted of shooting a non-compliant, illegal alien drug smuggler on the United States–Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on February 17, 2005 and "obstructing justice by willfully defacing the crime scene". On 19 January 2009, President Bush commuted the sentences of both Ramos and Compean, effectively ending their prison term on March 20, 2009, and they were released on February 17, 2009.

Compeán was patrolling a section of border with Ramos when they spotted a man crossing the border. They stopped him in a van containing 743 pounds of marijuana, but he ran. Compeán said he thought the suspect had a gun and was going to shoot him so he fired at him first. His shot missed but his partner, hearing gunfire, fired in order to defend Compeán and hit the suspect in the . They lost sight of the man, but said they saw him on the Mexican side of the border. They did not believe he had been injured so they did not report the incident.

The two officers were arrested after the drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila, filed a complaint against them. After a two-week jury trial, Compeán was found guilty on 11 counts, including discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, which by itself carries a federally mandated 10-year minimum sentence. Without that charge, both agents involved would have received far shorter sentences. Instead, Compeán was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and his partner, Ignacio Ramos, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Aldrete Dávila was granted immunity to testify against the two agents and received six border crossing visas to come to the United States and testify.

The arrest, trial, conviction and imprisonment of Compeán and Ramos has created a firestorm of controversy from those opposing illegal immigration. Efforts have been launched in the United States Congress calling on President George W. Bush to pardon the two men. On 2007-12-06 a resolution was introduced in the Congress seeking to commute their sentences.

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