MORE BORDER INJUSTICE?

�America�s Most Wanted� Investigates Another Case of U.S. Lawman Jailed After Encounter with Illegal Immigrant Saturday, February 17, on FOX

The controversy over the imprisonment of two U.S. Border Patrol Agents for wounding an illegal immigrant accused of drug smuggling continues to grow. New information being reported by America�s Most Wanted, the nation�s top crime-fighting show, raises new questions about how justice is being pursued along our border.

AMW host John Walsh has called on President Bush to pardon the jailed Border Patrol Agents, Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. But AMW has learned that they aren�t the only law officers doing jail time after an encounter with illegal immigrants during which they felt they had to use force to protect their lives.

In April, 2005, Edwards County, Texas, Sheriff's Deputy Gilmer Hernandez was on duty in the town of Rock Springs when an SUV, later revealed to be full of illegal immigrants, sped through a stop sign. Deputy Hernandez pulled the vehicle over, but as he approached, the driver sped off, nearly running over the lawman�s foot. Fearing for his safety and the safety of his community, Deputy Hernandez says he fired at the vehicle in an attempt to disable it. A Mexican national hiding in the back of the SUV, above the wheel well, suffered minor injuries. Deputy Hernandez was charged with violating the woman�s civil rights, was convicted, and is sitting in prison awaiting sentencing. The U.S. Attorney who brought the charges � Johnny Sutton � is the same man who prosecuted Border Patrol Agents Compean and Ramos

AMW Correspondent Jon Leiberman visited Rock Springs, and discovered that the town has rallied around Deputy Hernandez, paying his family�s bills and working to get him exonerated. Leiberman�s story will be featured in this week�s episode of America�s Most Wanted Saturday, February 17 (9 p.m. ET/PT, 8 p.m. CT) on FOX.