Vigilante forced to give ranch to illegals -(insane out of control border ruling come true)

Arizona Daily Sun ^ | 8/20/2005 | BETH DeFALCO

[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.

[GregoTX]

"Hey ! How is this Bush's fault, this is a STATE issue; not a Goernment issue. Don;t blame Bush, blame our Senator McCain, i do anyways.

Homeland Security,Border Patrol, Immigration, ect ect is all Federal (National) issues, not State. I love President Bush, but he is not doing his job when it comes to the illigeal immigration invasion. McCain is a Federal Senator from AZ, so yes... he needs to propose legislation (ya right). Its a Federal Issue, not state.

[Prime Choice]

See also: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;s=ranch%20illegal

[ExSoldier]

Time to make a stand.

Stand up and be COUNTED or line up and be NUMBERED.

[America's Resolve]

I don't know how they can't understand it, but I do. The richer this country gets, the more people are going to want to come in and plunder it if we don't protect it. It's up to the politicians to use the HARD-EARNED tax money we send to washington to thetune of 2.5 TRILLION dollars to protect this country, but they'd rather try to "buy friends" the world over by squandering it on foreign and every other kind of "aid" we can possibly imagine.

MEXICAN BORDER JUMPERS DON'T ELECT AMERICAN POLITICIANS, AMERICANS DO!! (AT LEAST IN THEORY!)

LISTEN WELL WASHINGTON!

[kjo]

Bush and the Republicans had better wake up. If they think we have no where else to go in 2008 they are wrong, I and many others will vote libertarian. If that puts Hilary in the WH, so be it. We got through four years of Carter, we can get through four years of Hillary.

[ExSoldier]

are they asking for an insurrection!!!?

See post #4. The people of this country are truly sheep. Freepers do not an insurrection make!

[stockpirate]

I am a loyal Republican and have been for years, I am very upset with not only GWB but also the Republican Party's leaders as a whole on this issue, the term "whores" comes to mind.

[Archon of the East]

Take the Ranch back.

[hombre_sincero]

I saved the BEST for last - but in deference to the LADIES on F.R. y'all males have to Click HERE to see it!

[porkchops 4 mahound]

in frikkin sane

[agitator]

The time for a stand was a long time ago and Americans were MIA. No, they were sleeping, or drunk, or too busy watching soap operas, or whatever. Americans are already numbered, just like cattle.

It's too late now. My repect for Americans is beneath contempt. With very few exceptions, they're a bunch of emasculated girlymen looking for big government to protect them and big government is fine as long as it's enforcing their particular pet peeve. I wanna puke.

[trubluolyguy]

Now THAT will make you "stand up" and salute!

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Has anyone heard a peep about this on Fox News??

Yesterday, Morris Dees himself appeared on John Gibson's show to defend the ruling.

[knak]

Outraged.

[doug from upland]

Morris Dees is the enemy within.

[South40]

[America's Resolve]

From Dictionary.com

malfeasance \mal-FEE-zuhn(t)s\, noun:
Wrongdoing, misconduct, or misbehavior, especially by a public official.

Sounds like President Bush failing to enforce the law to me!

[Sam Cree]

Well, border control is a federal issue and Bush is the chief exec.

I generally admire W, and voted for him, but there are a few things about him that I don't think are so good.

[Prime Choice]

Take the Ranch back.

Remember Waco? You can bet your butt the Feds will do it again if you dare interfere with their selling out our nation and our citizen to the illegals.