The Nation : Sanctuary Suit Dismissed

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by two religious denominations and four congregations that accused federal agents of infiltrating church gatherings in 1984 with hidden tape recorders to gather evidence for the conspiracy trial of 11 sanctuary movement workers. U.S. District Judge Charles Hardy, in dismissing the suit in Phoenix, said that “it frankly offends me that the government is snooping into people’s churches” but that “sovereign immunity” protected the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the federal government from prosecution. Eight sanctuary workers were convicted last May 1 in Tucson. All were given probation.