PHOENIX, Arizona - February 9, 2009 - 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, Arizona, is known by federal and county law enforcement authorities as "the avenue of choice" for invaders seeking to enter the United States illegally.

Trial continues Monday 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. Also named are Mr. Barnett's wife, Barbara, his brother, Donald, and Larry Dever, sheriff in Cochise County, Arizona, where the Barnetts live. The civil trial is expected to continue until Friday.

The lawsuit is based on a March 7, 2004 incident in a dry wash on the 22,000-acre ranch, when he approached a group of illegal invaders while carrying a gun and accompanied by a large dog.