Biography
Catholic layman who directed Casa Oscar Romero in San Benito, Texas (Diocese of Brownsville) from 1983 — a refugee shelter for Salvadorans and Guatemalans fleeing the U.S.-backed wars. The most prominent Sanctuary Movement defendant prosecuted outside the Tucson trial. Federally indicted 1984. Convicted February 21, 1985 with co-worker Stacey Lynn Merkt of conspiracy and transporting/bringing in undocumented refugees (six counts). Initially sentenced to two years probation but rejected the gag order forbidding sanctuary work or public discussion; resentenced to 150 days in a San Antonio halfway house. Judge Filemón Vela Sr. noted on the record that he "agree[d] with the ends of the sanctuary movement." Co-founded RAICES with Stacey Merkt after release.
