Enter the U.S. Illegally and Get A Free Ranch

This story will really irritate the border watch groups (like the Minutemen) that have been trying to organize efforts to stop illegals from crossing into the U.S. unchecked (h/t The Corner):

An Arizona ranch once owned by a member of an armed group accused of terrorizing illegal immigrants has been turned over to two of the very people the owner had tried keep out of the country.

The land is being transferred to satisfy a judgment against Casey Nethercott, a member of a self-styled border-watch group who is serving a five-year prison term for firearms possession.

Morris Dees Jr., chief trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which represented the immigrants, said he hoped the ruling would be a cautionary tale to anyone considering hostile measures against border crossers.

"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."

Nethercott was a member of the group Ranch Rescue, which works to protect private property along the southern U.S. border. In March 2003 he was accused of pistol-whipping Edwin Alfredo Mancia Gonzales, 26, at a Hebbronville, Tex., ranch near the Mexico border.

A jury deadlocked on the assault charge but convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Mancia and another immigrant traveling with him from El Salvador, Fatima 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, Ranch Rescue's founder; and the owners of the Hebbronville ranch, Joe and Betty Sutton. The Suttons settled for $100,000. Nethercott and Foote did not defend themselves, and a Texas judge issued default judgments in April of $850,000 against Nethercott and $500,000 against Foote.

Nethercott transferred ownership of his 70-acre Douglas ranch to his sister. But the sister gave up ownership to settle the judgment when challenged by the immigrants' lawyers.

The transfer of the ranch outraged border-watch groups.

The rancher was not convicted of harming the illegal immigrant, and yet lost his property in a civil suit. I have no idea why the ranchers did not defend themselves - they got some really bad advice from someone.

It's pretty obvious from Mr. Dees statements that the goal of the Southern Poverty Law Center is to ensure that illegals can enter the U.S. completely unchallenged by anyone but the Border Patrol...and only because they haven't found a way to stop the Border Patrol. You just have to know that after the success of this suit, every illegal who is contacted in any way by an American near the border will be calling up the lawyers to try and win a piece of America for themselves.