Tuesday, March 31, 1987/The Battalion/Page 7 igh court refuses appeal y helpers of illegal aliens uling: Religious rights don't save members f 'sanctuary movemenf from prosecution ■ WASHINGTON (AP) — The Su- j> y. | pi eme Court on Monday left intact a ^^Vflrtiling that criminal prosecution ' "'■ 1 (l«>es not violate the religious rights «l “sanctuary movement” members who aid illegal aliens from Central America. I T he justices refused to hear an ai)|)eal by two people convicted of Rich activity in Texas. CY' EVEN Tl( if 'AFilDfNT n;,;:|gl IISTAKfS.' l 1 E th i John B. Elder, director of a “refu- ;ee sanctuary” in San Benito, and tacey Lynn Merkt, a volunteer at he shelter, were convicted of con- ^■piring in 19H4 to transport illegal I 1 ; aliens within die United States. If •■I Elder also was convicted of con- ollice, Brii (he stale prJjj a rninimuin'J could adua j >ihlc Miuairi! BriKiks wasi nr pie ol van ■ bill would j mie timeforrH [xilinesand: •; ii suspend ikfl ■, HkkTsjic.B I 23 votes, w esent. m Mmulacftw ul sent tiith^ffl iciiiliers ul to | xiards inktli# lartmem of •s, including hw.iv patml iliticalcanipaift; ate illiterate DBj gradualei* I" siade larkfi •I, state Seal ouston, islM that at musf u s to tile dial. to have then own out, aiH tns in thee lily rromliii in is a rcuit (aiuitd n Louisian strict court ainily bean* ns had rum* , a Fort Wot* liecause It® ion of (he Si i t probabl) in ‘ risonf uled oen previous w = nation's i k California . been upf 11 ■A'cdnesfla'i number ol mse davs pa he legal Ii* 1 ' Packing plant seeks workers in South Texas HARLINGEN (AP) — A Mid western meat-packing plant locked in a labor dispute is re cruiting workers in the Rio Grande Valley, where the unem ployment rate is one of the na tion’s highest, company officials said Monday. Gary Mickelson, a spokesman for IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Neb., said laborers were being sought in South Texas because of the availablity of job seekers here. He said prospective employees are told the company’s plant in Dakota City is in a labor dispute and are being offered a base wage of $6 an hour. “Even though there’s a labor dispute, it’s been peaceful,” he said. “We’ve had a pretty good turnout of people and have hired some. “It’s permanent positions that we’re offering.” February unemployment fig ures for the Rio Grande Valley show McAllen, in the Upper Val ley, with the state’s highest per centage of jobless workers at 20 percent. spiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the country. He was sentenced to 150 days im prisonment, to be served at a half way house. Merkt was sentenced to 179 days in jail and three years’ pro bation. Elder’s shelter provides assistance and lodging to Central Americans, principally from El Salvador, who have fled their countries and en tered the United States. The shelter, founded in 1982, re ceives financial support from the Roman Catholic Diocese in Brownsville, protestant churches and other religious organizations. Elder and Merkt were convicted of driving live Salvadoran illegal aliens from San Benito to McAllen, and putting them on a bus for Hous ton. The live aliens, two adults and three children, were arrested by Border Patrol agents before reach ing Houston. Elder’s and Merkt’s convictions were upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last July 17. The appeals court rejected argu ments that they should not have been charged with crimes because their activities in behalf of illegal aliens are inspired by their religious beliefs. The appeals court said the sanct uary movement case differs from those in which the Amish have been allowed to keep their young children out of public schools and Seventh- day Adventists have been protected against being fired for refusing to work on their Sabbath. Devout Christian belief does not compel participation in the sanct uary movement, the appeals court said. It added that Elder and Merkt “could have assisted beleaguered El Salvadorans in many ways which did not affront the border control laws; they could have collected and dis tributed monetary and other dona tions, aided in preparing petitions for legal entry and assisted El Salva dorans legally in this country.” “They chose confrontational, ille gal means to practice their religious views — the burden was voluntarily assumed and not imposed on them by the government,” the court said. In seeking the Supreme Court’s help, lawyers for Elder and Merkt said the government should be bar red from intruding on someone’s re ligious beliefs unless “it has a strong reason.” Study: Fewer Texas teens receive ‘hardship’ licenses COLLEGE STATION (AP) — A crackdown on so-called “hardship” licenses in Texas has resulted in nearly 71,000 fewer teen-age drivers on the road, according to a Texas A&M University safety education specialist. Under a new law, only 1,109 teen agers have qualified for the special li censes since 1983, Dr. Gerald Ockert said. “The law was successful at reduc ing the number of kids out there driving because it made it tougher for them to get these hardship li censes,” said Dr. Maurice Dennis, coordinator for the Safety Education Program at Texas A&M. Teen-age drivers who received li censes under the new law also had slightly lower incidence of moving violations or accidents, though the difference was not statistically signif icant, Ockert said. “Even though this controlled study did not find statistically signifi cant differences between post-law and pre-law groups, I believe the law change was a good change,” Ockert said. The Minor’s Restricted Driver’s License is commonly known as a “hardship” license since applicants must prove they have a compelling need to drive, such as to work or to take parents to a doctor. Constitution & Foreign Policy: A Question of Control Moderator Howard K. Smith Dr. Jeane Kirkpatrick Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dean Rusk Former Secretary of State under Kennedy and Johnson Senator Edmund S. Muskie Member of the Tower Commission, Former Secretary of State I Wednesday, April 1, 1987 Rudder Auditorium 8:00 pm Texas A&M University j:- ;•. f V'tl iiG Ti.;. i.;. X:|| TfiT': -T I?!? "ji/f IrMSC Wiley Lecture Series / - =• Texas A&M University ***«*, Officially r