Posted on 08/20/2005 1:28:36 PM PDT by StudentsForBush
PHOENIX -- An Arizona ranch that once served as the headquarters for a civilian group watching for illegal immigrants has been turned over to two people caught trying to enter the United States illegally.
The ranch was conveyed to satisfy a judgment against its owner, Casey Nethercott, a member of a self-styled border-watch group that seeks to protect private property from illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico. Nethercott had been accused of terrorizing the immigrants when he and others caught them in Texas.
Morris Dees Jr., co-founder and chief trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which
represented the immigrants, said he hoped the ruling would serve as a cautionary tale to landowners or civilian patrols.
"When we got into this case, ranchers all along the border were allowing these types to come on their property," Dees said. "Now, they're very leery of it, especially when they see someone losing their ranch because of it."
The ruling comes as the governors of Arizona and New Mexico declare states of emergency in their border counties, moves designed to free up money for enforcement while drawing more national attention to the problems of illegal immigration.
The transfer of the Douglas ranch outraged border-watch groups.
** FILE ** Casey Nethercott waits in a courtroom in Hebbronnville, Texas, for his trial to start, June 8, 2004. An Arizona ranch that once served as the headquarters for a civilian group watching for illegal immigrants has been turned over to two people caught trying to enter the United States illegally. The ranch was conveyed to satisfy a judgment against its owner, Casey Nethercott, a member of a self-styled border-watch group that seeks to protect private property from illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico. Nethercott had been accused of terrorizing the immigrants when he and others caught them in Texas. (AP Photo/The Monitor, German Garcia,
"If the federal government was doing its job, ranchers would not be living in fear," said Chris Simcox, president of Minuteman Civil Defense Corp., a group that watches for illegal immigrant crossings and reports them to the U.S. Border Patrol.
"They can't even protect their own property for fear of these frivolous lawsuits when people are trespassing on property," he said.
Ranchers "are held captive by the federal government who tells them, 'Well, we can't protect you but you can't do anything to protect yourself."'
Simcox disputed the notion, however, that the ruling would deter other landowners from welcoming civilian watch groups. He noted that the Minutemen have a policy against touching the migrants and use video to document their patrols.
Nethercott was part of another group called Ranch Rescue and had founded a group called the Arizona Militia, which he based at his 70-acre ranch in Douglas.
In March 2003, Nethercott, who had previously been convicted of assault in California, was accused of pistol-whipping an illegal immigrant as he and other people from Ranch Rescue patrolled a ranch in Hebbronville, Texas. A jury deadlocked on the charge but convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Edwin Alfredo Mancía Gonzáles, the man who accused Nethercott of hitting him, and another immigrant traveling with him from El Salvador, Fátima del Socorro Leiva Medina, filed a civil lawsuit last year saying they were harmed while being held by Ranch Rescue members.
Named in the suit were Nethercott; Jack Foote, the founder of Ranch Rescue; and the owners of the Hebbronville ranch, Joe and Betty Sutton.
The Suttons settled for $100,000, Dees said. Nethercott and Foote did not defend themselves, he said.
So in April of this year, a Texas judge issued default judgments of $850,000 against Nethercott and $500,000 against Foote.
Nethercott, serving a five-year prison term for the firearm conviction, transferred ownership of his Douglas ranch to his sister. But the sister gave up ownership of the ranch to settle the judgment when challenged by the immigrants' lawyers.
A message left for Nethercott's family in Prescott and his attorney in Texas were not immediately returned Friday.
Dees said his clients plan to eventually sell the property, which Nethercott bought for $120,000, but would allow humanitarian border groups offering aid to immigrants to use it for now.
Mancía and Leiva declined through Dees to speak to the media.
"They were terrorized. They suffered enormous post-traumatic stress," the attorney said.
Both immigrants remain in the United States and have applied for special visas available to some immigrants who are crime victims.
I wondered that too. Maybe because he was in prison he couldn't get out to do it. His sister seemed to throw in the towel and turn his ranch over to them.
Seeing articles like this being posted, really bothers you, doesn't it?
Regarding your tagline:
("Tom Tancredo- The Republican Party's Very Own Cynthia McKinney.")
Rep. Tancredo has a 100% ACU conservative voting record for last year. He has supported President Bush on every conservative cause, including tax cuts and the war on terror.
Name one thing besides our broken immigration/border policy, that Tancredo has opposed President Bush on.
"Citizen-of-the-world types are resistant to the idea of tightening
our borders, and especially resistant to the idea of making a
distinction between people from different countries. But the real
problem is not their self-righteous fetishes but the fact that they
have intimidated so many other people into silence."~ Thomas Sowell
Bingo! This is just part of some brilliant Rove/Bush strategy, we don't quite understand yet. Just step back, take a deep breath and support those who know best.
Sort of, . . . Meximerica.
Or, if you prefer, Amerxico.
If that puts Hilary in the WH, so be it
Do you think she will do anything about closing our boarders?
I concur. And it will not get better until 'someone' else does something.
What would you want him to do, invite him for dinner?
He's a joker?
Yup its America alright. Apparently Arizona is now literally "South America" .....
Hey, check out this video FBD posted. Here are bayourod's OBL friends!!!
CLICK ON THIS VIDEO LINK below:
It will stun you. It's (very) doubtful they all "came here to work"...judging from their signs and chants.
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/Teaser3_15fps.wmv
Listen to and watch the pro-illegal immigrant protesters yell things like:
"DEATH TO THE READNECKS"...
"Zarqawi is a GREAT GRINGO KILLER!", "INTIFADA!", "You stole this land!", etc.
This is a wake-up call, folks...
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/Teaser3_15fps.wmv
I like to keep this handy...for close encounters.
To say this sucks is an incredible understatement.
Wouldn't want to be the new 'owners'. They won't get squat for goods or services or neighborly assistance that is necessary to survive as a rancher in that part of the world. They're on their own.
M Y
G O O D
G O D
!!!
Fátima del Socorro Leiva Medina & Edwin Alfredo Mancía Gonzáles
One was woman.
Whom I severely doubt was hurt in any fashion.
I hope their new neighbors make them want to go back home.
We can't allow this to continue.
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