16 illegals sue Arizona rancher

[revwardoc]

Claim violation of rights as they crossed his land

An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who accuse him of conspiring to violate their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint on his ranch on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Roger Barnett, 64, began rounding up illegal immigrants in 1998 and turning them over to the U.S. Border Patrol, he said, after they destroyed his property, killed his calves and broke into his home.

His Cross Rail Ranch near Douglas, Ariz., is known by federal and county law enforcement authorities as "the avenue of choice" for immigrants seeking to enter the United States illegally.

Trial continues Monday in the federal lawsuit, which seeks $32 million in actual and punitive damages for civil rights violations, the infliction of emotional distress and other crimes. Also named are Mr. Barnett's wife, Barbara, his brother, Donald, and Larry Dever, sheriff in Cochise County, Ariz., where the Barnetts live. The civil trial is expected to continue until Friday.

The lawsuit is based on a March 7, 2004, incident in a dry wash on the 22,000-acre ranch, when he approached a group of illegal immigrants while carrying a gun and accompanied by a large dog.

Attorneys for the immigrants - five women and 11 men who were trying to cross illegally into the United States - have accused Mr. Barnett of holding the group captive at gunpoint, threatening to turn his dog loose on them and saying he would shoot anyone who tried to escape.

The immigrants are represented at trial by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which also charged that Sheriff Dever did nothing to prevent Mr. Barnett from holding their clients at "gunpoint, yelling obscenities at them and kicking one of the women."

In the lawsuit, MALDEF said Mr. Barnett approached the group as the immigrants moved through his property, and that he was carrying a pistol and threatening them in English and Spanish. At one point, it said, Mr. Barnett's dog barked at several of the women and he yelled at them in Spanish, "My dog is hungry and he's hungry for buttocks."

The lawsuit said he then called his wife and two Border Patrol agents arrived at the site. It also said Mr. Barnett acknowledged that he had turned over 12,000 illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol since 1998.

In March, U.S. District Judge John Roll rejected a motion by Mr. Barnett to have the charges dropped, ruling there was sufficient evidence to allow the matter to be presented to a jury. Mr. Barnett's attorney, David Hardy, had argued that illegal immigrants did not have the same rights as U.S. citizens.

Mr. Barnett told The Washington Times in a 2002 interview that he began rounding up illegal immigrants after they started to vandalize his property, northeast of Douglas along Arizona Highway 80. He said the immigrants tore up water pumps, killed calves, destroyed fences and gates, stole trucks and broke into his home.

Some of his cattle died from ingesting the plastic bottles left behind by the immigrants, he said, adding that he installed a faucet on an 8,000-gallon water tank so the immigrants would stop damaging the tank to get water.

Mr. Barnett said some of the ranch´s established immigrant trails were littered with trash 10 inches deep, including human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil - which supposedly is used to pack the drugs the immigrant smugglers give their "clients" to keep them running.

He said he carried a pistol during his searches for the immigrants and had a rifle in his truck "for protection" against immigrant and drug smugglers, who often are armed.


ASSOCIATED PRESS DEFENDANT: Roger Barnett said he had turned over 12,000 illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol since 1998.

A former Cochise County sheriff´s deputy who later was successful in the towing and propane business, Mr. Barnett spent $30,000 on electronic sensors, which he has hidden along established trails on his ranch. He searches the ranch for illegal immigrants in a pickup truck, dressed in a green shirt and camouflage hat, with his handgun and rifle, high-powered binoculars and a walkie-talkie.

His sprawling ranch became an illegal-immigration highway when the Border Patrol diverted its attention to several border towns in an effort to take control of the established ports of entry. That effort moved the illegal immigrants to the remote areas of the border, including the Cross Rail Ranch.

"This is my land. I´m the victim here," Mr. Barnett said. "When someone´s home and loved ones are in jeopardy and the government seemingly can´t do anything about it, I feel justified in taking matters into my own hands. And I always watch my back."

[SEATJERKER]

...

...Sounds like this is the true begining to the " National Citizen Police Force", and maybe the rest of those along the border should be equipted the same way,...

...What I don't see is that out of 12,000, None were shot, or hurt, cept their feelings as they were turned over to proper law enforcement,...

...

[Packo]

utterly speechless. If they win, then I know we've lost our minds in this country. If they lose, they should be made to pay the ranchers legal fees. Of course they don't have any money so the attorney's that brought this friviless suit should be made to pay. I think that was the plan the whole time. Make the rancher spend thousands to defend his right to defend his land.

Pack

[SuperScout]

And guess what, boys and girls - the former governor of Arizona, where all this brazen stupidity occurred, is now the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. If she couldn't get her own border under control, WTF do you think she's going to do with several thousand mores miles of border to protect, among other things? She was the one who made such a production of 'calling out the Arizona Nationa Guard' to protect her state, when in fact, it was all window dressing, with few if any troops actually being deployed to the border.

Even more depressing is the gutless wonder of the judge who even allowed this travesty and miscarriage of justice to be heard in any court of law. When and how did we get to the point that criminals have more rights than private property owners trying to protect their property? Muchof this 'screw the private property owners' attitude can be traced back to the Supreme Court decision, with LIBERALS in the majority, that took private property away in Connecticut and gave to another. Get it thrugh your heads, boys and girls, LIBERALS are not your friends, and in fact are enemies of the state.

[revwardoc]

I can't believe this is actually going to court! Doesn't anyone understand the meaning of the word "illegal", or "trespassing", or the term "destruction of private property"?

[SuperScout]

Apparently, according to the judge hearing this case, a wetback's 'rights' trumps our private property rights. We are indeed seeing yet another example of the inmates running the asylum. Now do you undertand why I declare that liberals are the enemies of the state?

[PHO127]

If You are going to have to go to court anyway might as well be for something real. Besides if you start shooting them they WILL STOP.

[reconeil]

..."Attorneys for the IMMIGRANTS"???

First-off, no sane nation or people on earth consider foreign national Criminally Illegal Aliens
assssss: "IMMIGRANTS". ONLY quite purpo$efully pandering leftist zealot$, politico$, org$,
lawyer$, teacher$, profe$$ors, pundit$ & journalist$(?) DO.

Besides, there never was nor is such a person as an: "Illegal Immigrant". The term was
purposefully conjured-up by most alluded to,...solely to keep We: "The natives from getting
restless" OVER or ABOUT America's LONGTIME (about 40 years): "Criminally Illegal Alien Invasion".

Regardless, NO U.S. Courts should be STUPIDLY tied-up addressing complaints or redress
from foreign nationals (here legally or not). That's what all their embassies are for.
All the quite pompously-asinine politicians in America can't change that sane reality,....
as much as they continually try to.

Our Forefathers MUST BE absolutely amazed that The American Constitution is so continually
& abysmally MISUSED to cover everyone on earth,...and even captured Mass-Murdering
Muslim Terrorist Wartime Combattants. Besides, whatever happened to USMCJ, anyway?

But then, and since lately America has suffered a clean-sweep takeover of Power & Control
by disgustingly foreign nationals (enemy also) OVER Americans panderers,........................
get used to such stupid nationally-suicidal dictates.

Hopefully, and inspite of such Official Lunacies NOW prevailing, America will remain a Secure,
Free & Sovereign Nation for at least another 4 years? Hey, you never know?

Maybe We Americans will remain an exceptionally Rich & Lucky Nation,...FOREVER?
Religiously: "I pray to Jesus every night", "Turn the other cheek" or "Share The Wealth"
OBAMA,...or not.


Neil

[SuperScout]

Originally Posted by PHO127

If You are going to have to go to court anyway might as well be for something real. Besides if you start shooting them they WILL STOP.

Careful, Sid, or you'll be labeled a racist by the whiners and snivelers squad. As if you give a s**t about what they think.........

Neil: what you are seeing is yet another example of why conservatives are against the trial lawyers. This scumbag representing the wetbacks hopes to win his case, not for the wetbacks' benefit, but for his own personal enrichment, since he'll probably rake off 80%, assuming he wins.

America deserves better.

[reconeil]

Lawyer$ thriving well & how lawyer$ have done so since the beginning of time aside,
whatever happened to The USMCJ for trying wartime foreign national captured enemy
infiltrators, saboteurs or combattants,...as historically normally done?

What's with that Politically Dictatorial Nonsense at: "Gitmo", and/or Captured Dangerously
Murderous Muslim Terrorist Prisoners being taken away from Military Detainment & being
turned over to America's CIVILIAN Justice Department, with many possibly being released?

Hell,...in more rational times no one would have ever even thought of releasing even the
most innocent & repentent of captured enemies,...much less obvious War Criminals.
Wasn't The Sadam Hussein Case adjudicated properly. I certainly think so.

Or, and for that matter, why release ANY captured enemy before The War on Terrorism is
over? Don't stupidly go along or herdlike be easily led-by-the-nose,...By The OBAMA Crowd.

If: "The Second Coming" can convince His Brethren to stop beheading U.S. Servicemen
and instead capturing them for possible trade,...I might change my thinking about Smooth,
Slick & Devious Barack & Dems. Until then,...I'll just pray for America & secure my wallet.
That's the best any of us not: "Connected" can do for next 4 years,...short of a revolution.

Neil