The petition collected more than 40,000 signatures by the time Bush commuted the agents' sentences

U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean

WND led the investigation into the high-profile prosecutions and convictions of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who received 11- and 12-year sentences for slightly wounding a fleeing illegal alien drug smuggler in 2005 with a gunshot while in pursuit and in the line of duty. A federal prosecutor gave the drug smuggler full immunity to testify against the agents.

WND's in-depth coverage of the case began with the first report Aug. 7, 2006. And in the years leading up to President Bush's commutation of the agents' sentences in January 2009, WND published at least 228 news stories and 51 commentaries about the case.

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, launched a petition and letter-writing campaign in late 2008 that re-focused attention on the Ramos-Compean case in the last 30 days of Bush's term.

The petition collected more than 40,000 signatures by the time Bush commuted the agents' sentences, and the letter campaign produced more than 3,000 FedEx letters to the White House.