Washington, D.C. -- President Bush on Thursday indicated that a presidential pardon for two Texas Border Patrol Agents remains a possibility.

Bush, speaking this morning with KFOX-TV, discussed the case of Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos.

Bush said, “There’s a process for pardons. It’s got to work its way through a system here in the government. I just want people to take a sober look at the case.”

Bush said a White House review will take place. “People need to take a tough look at the facts, the evidence a jury looked at, as well as (the) judge. And I will do the same thing,” Bush said.

Compean and Ramos were both convicted last year of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and trying to cover it up. Both men started serving their federal prison sentences yesterday. Compean was ordered to serve 12 years behind bars. Ramos was ordered to serve 11 years.

Supporters of the two border agents, including several Republican members of Congress, requested the President pardon both men. California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Thursday the two men were “heroes” who were “putting their lives on the line to protect our borders”.

Rohrabacher also criticized the federal prosecutor involved in the case for granting immunity to the drug smuggler involved, in order to secure the man’s testimony.

Rohrabacher and a handful of other Republican Congressmen have criticized the President for not already issuing the pardon.

“I don’t think the American people have seen this element of the President. It will do him no good to let them know he’s willing to be this mean spirited,” Rep. Rohrabacher said.

Bush said the cases of Compean and Ramos have “got a lot of emotions”.

“Border Patrol and law enforcement have no stronger supporter than me,” he said.

-Alison Burns, Catherine Reynolds and Scott MacFarlane, KFOX-TV