Mark K.: You forgot to mention that Ramos and Compean tried to cover up what they did. They were convicted by a Texas jury. I’m with Andy McCarthy:

Those who obsess over illegal immigration need to understand: Humanity is a major issue here. Yes, we want the illegals gone; we want the smugglers and dopers prosecuted, jailed, and then gone. We want our dedicated agents to know we back them when they have to fire at the thugs who truly imperil them, and that we give them the benefit of the doubt their dangerous job demands. But shooting human beings on sight just because they happen to be suspects, or here illegally, is reprehensible. It is inhumane. It is against the principles of honorable law enforcement. It is un-American.
Beneath the bluster, everyone knows that. Compean and Ramos surely knew. That’s why they desperately tried to conceal what they did.
The concealment, however, and the ongoing campaign to portray felons as model agents only make matters worse. These guys are no heroes. Casting them as such is an insult to the thousands of honest federal, state and local agents who put their lives on the line for us everyday. Upholding the law, not shredding it.