Fabens is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Paso County, Texas, United States.
[3] Fabens is approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of El Paso along the Rio Grande and Interstate Highway 10.
Most visitors only stop for short periods of time to eat at one of the several restaurants or stay overnight in the hotel.
[6] On February 17, 2005, Fabens was the nearest location to a border incident that made national headlines, when Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of eleven and ten years, respectively, for shooting Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, an undocumented immigrant and alleged drug smuggler who was unarmed when he was shot.
Aldrete-Davila was given immunity for his testimony and sued the Border Patrol for $5 million for violation of his civil rights.
[7] Ramos and Compean had their sentences commuted by President George W. Bush during his last full day in office on January 19, 2009, although they did not receive a pardon for their convictions.
They were released from prison on March 20, 2009, and in December 2020 President Donald Trump pardoned them for their crimes.