A Texas rancher has filed a lawsuit against Border Patrol and the Texas Rangers after discovering a surveillance camera on his property without his consent.
KGNS.TV reported this wasn’t the first incident the Encinal rancher has had with Border Patrol as agents routinely patrol his property. However, when Ricardo Palacios found a surveillance camera in a tree near his son’s home and took it down, Texas Rangers threatened to charge him with theft.
According to San Antonio Express-News, U.S. law allows immigration officers to access private lands, but not homes, for the purpose of patrolling the border to prevent the illegal entry of immigrants into the country as long as they are within a distance of 25 miles from any external boundary of the United States.
Palacios and his attorney argue that his ranch is outside this boundary and is seeking $500,000 in damages for mental and emotional distress along with punitive damages and attorney fees.
