A South Texas cattle rancher and semi-retired lawyer is taking on federal and state immigration law enforcement officials, claiming they illegally trespassed onto his property and secretly installed a surveillance camera as part of their efforts to snag illegal border-crossers.

Ricardo Palacios, who has been a member of the Texas bar for nearly five decades and worked with clients in the gas and oil business, now devotes his efforts to running his ranch in Encinal, in La Salle County.