 Roger Barnett and his brother Brent |
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 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.
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 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.
“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.”
Good enough for me.
I’ve seen some of these people that own paddy wagons. If they are not law enforcement they shouldn’t be providing law enforcement functions.
When someone trespasses on your land you ARE NOT allowed to point guns at them. Granted, if you walk onto some redneck’s grounds he might point a shotgun at you. If this guy makes a point of announcing publicly that he does so…. he deserves to get his pants sued off.
If, and this is the reality, the powers that be aren’t that interested in certain laws it is NOT your job to do so in their stead.
# 62 chris said, “When someone trespasses on your land you ARE NOT allowed to point guns at them.”
That depends on the state. CA, not usually, Texas you can shoot them.
I think there are details in the case that aren’t being considered and that most people who are commenting on aren’t aware of.
Some people are commenting on the basis of a couple of pieces of information that the media is feeding them as if that is the beginning and the end …
GOOD DOG!
#60 – All too true.
LOL, and the idiot brigade continues.
So since no one has bothered to read up on this or the complaint yet…
In what state is it legal to dress up as though you are a LEO and run around pretending to be a LEO and arresting people and stuff?
Because that is what this guy has already been found guilty of in the prior lawsuit like this that he lost.
# 66 GregA said, “LOL,”
Well? Where were they coming from and where were they going?
It appears that the truth in this case lies somewhere in the middle. In other words it is highly reasonable for it to go to court and be decided there in its merits.
Some background can be fond on FindLaw at:
http://tinyurl.com/cygu7z
In the earlier case, the people he assaulted were not illegal immigrants and his behavior was clearly out of line. In this case, they appear to be illegals, which is to say folk in the process of breaking the law. If they were and if he was preventing them from trespassing, he may have been within his rights.
It all depends upon the facts in the case and under US law, that’s what the court is for: determining the facts and applying the law.
It’s fun getting all heated and worked up on one side or the other, but it has very little to do with the rule of law.
Oh, and by the way the notion that,
“Civil rights are those rights granted to you by The Constitution, as they are not citizens they don’t qualify to said rights under our Constitution.”
bears no resemblance to the law in this country. We are as human beings endowed with inalienable rights by our Creator and not the Constitution. The Constitution empowers, that is to say it “constitutes” the government. It is a document by which we the people grant powers to the government.
Our Founders did not rule by divine right and grant us through their document rights, nor did they claim to. Learn about this country, its history and its laws.
Hmm, GregA, instead of being an ass why don’t you post links to the relevant information backing up your posts? You could enlighten so many about Barnett yet you choose to be an ass. My original post was about who was making the border more like Somalia, and a singular vigilante isn’t responsible for this, Mexican cartels are. Even so, you are right that Barnett is most likely going loose his case against the 16 so called immigrants and hurt the cause against illegal immigration in the process. His actions against Morales, the first case he lost, was definitely against the law. But, unfortunately you chose to be an ass and not foster knowledge by keeping this relevant information from the readers of Dvorak’s blog. I won’t be an ass like you, I will post the relevant information: http://tinyurl.com/djuqn5 and http://tinyurl.com/brceg4
#62: In Arizona, it IS legal to point a gun at a trespasser. Odd, barbaric quirk that I find charming.
The “Castle Doctrine” we have here in AZ doesn’t allow one to shoot a trespasser, though, unless they’ve done something really foolish like break into your house while you’re home. Cars are treated the same way– somebody tries to open your car door at a stop light, and they’re fair game. Carjackings are down in AZ recently, wonder why?
#67, Cow-Paddy
Well? Where were they coming from and where were they going?
That is irrelevant. No one is required to identify their travels in this country. Whether or not they were even in Mexico or headed that way, is irrelevant.
I notice you keep asking this question as id it is Greg’s responsibility to know. It isn’t. When are you going to post that Link where Barney Frank blamed the voters for corruption in Washington?
We wait your post.
One of the nice things about this blog is that when you read these sensational headlines, you get feedback from people who know the facts.
Follow the link to The Washington Times article and read the comments. Pure entertainment. Some make R. Limbaugh look pinko.
#68, GF,
The first trial was posted by myself in #38. It boggles me that you jump all over Greg. He didn’t post the topic or the headline. While it would have been nice if he had of posted more information and links, don’t get your shorts all in a knot because the editor screwed the pooch.
Fusion and Greg==as much as the pseudo-editors here like to twist headlines, and even make them up, its not often they post the opposite, yet that is what Greg says.
I would hope anyone saying the OP is an outright lie/reversal of relevant facts, does have an obligation to post the source of his disagreement.
And when that MINIMUM responsibility is met, I would also hope the pseudo-editors would update, if not correct, the OP. I’ve seen that happen a couple of times==much more often than the posters do here when shown their position is totally without merit.
Does he have email? I would send him a message of support. I would even contribute to his defense via PayPal.
#75, Bobbo,
While you do make a good point, Greg did point out that Barnett had had previous legal problems and lost. While he did not offer any links, neither did anyone else nor did anyone ask for any until GF got his panties in a knot.
I did post a link in #38 pointing to a case where he held some Americans at gun point who were on government land. If I had more time earlier I would have spent some time looking deeper into it. So why are you still upset?
Greg’s point was that no one bothered to even research the story to find out if there was any veracity in it. That also applies to me. And you. And I agree with his point. You should never accept a story like this on face value alone. There is just too much bias in the media. (there are also way too much “wetback” hunter wannabes)
As I said, good point only I’m not sure if it isn’t misdirected.
GREGA #66 and various other ahole posts.
I agree with some of your points, but your attitude is that of a complete d*ck…Like paddy-o…maybe you are him or maybe there are 2 morons on this site.
Immigrants
#78, jim
Cow-Patty is in a class of his own.
So why are you claiming Greg is an ahole? It isn’t as though he just made something up, or quoted something out of context.
Maybe you should be looking at those who like hamburger.
Mr Fusion,
Thank you, you handled that with more patience than I would have.
Here, I have the catch all link:
http://justfuckinggoogleit.com/
Also, I am a windows users, so I don’t click on tinyurl links. Plus deep links break this forum.
But none the less, if you weren’t calling BS on a story that conflates things like… Did these 16 migrant workers break into his house? Were these 16 people illegals? Were they even on his property? All questions you can gleam from the OP, that the article never answers, the problem is yours, and not mine.
And I absolutely refuse to be nice, pleasant or even mildly helpful to people who will jump in and defend an openly racist prick like Roger Barnette.
I could have safely used much more profound invective. For example, I could have called you racist. But I didn’t think you guys racist. Only, misinformed by ignorance, a moron, or organically, a retard.
#80
Misread one of his posts, wrong end of the stick.,
As for the hamburgers….?
#82, jim,
No problem,
Hamburg? see post #1 & 3.
welcome to the liberal future of america
What I don’t understand is why do we have to deport illegal immigrants to the country of their origin. There are some very sparsely populated Arctic Islands available with some rather poorly fed Polar Bears on them. When word gets around, end of problem! There would be an exodus from the USofA to the point of a dire employment problem in the lowly paid undesirable service and agricultural jobs! It might go a long way towards solving part of the recession.
I think these people have NO civil rights, they should be thrown in jail and deported for entering the country illegally.