Thread: Elvira Arellano's son heads to D.C. to see President

Originally Posted by DavidWidman

Dubya better not pose for this photo-op!

D.W.

He won't.

He's out west, doing what he does best: raising money.

Maybe Dubya could take another dune buggy joy ride to the border (aka photo-op) and dump the convicted felon and her child on the other side.

This is pathetic! Sending her 7 yr old boy to personally deliver a letter to the president. Wonder if the media will fall all over themselves with this story or ignore it? If the president were to 'intervene' can you imagine the requests that would follow??? Yes, heard the president is out west fund raising. What should he do Karl?

According to the original article, the White House would not even accept the petition.

“We attempted to deliver these petitions to the White House, and after the Secret Service contacted Administration officials, the message was relayed to us that Mr. Bush's minions would not accept them.

If the White House even accepts Saul's letter, it has betrayed every single American that signed those petitions, and all those suffering familes IMO.

Personally, I think Bush's time would be better spent meeting with Borat:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlene ... rss&rpc=22

This child is being shamelessly exploited. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I used to work for CPS; this is emotional child abuse. This child will be affected by the trauma inflicted upon him by these people for years to come.

If this woman wants to fight for her "cause" she should do it by herself and leave her child out of it. She should be doing all in her power to keep his life as consistent and stable as possible, not pulling him in front of cameras and allowing him to be dragged all over the place for public relations stunts.

Elvira got pregnant and gave birth to Saul to anchor herself to this country. I don't think she cares about him at all.

Since Bush is out West, what if they have someone else in his administration accept the letter from Saul on Bush's behalf. To me that would be the same as Bush accepting the letter.

Is the letter in Crayola and Spanish?

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local ... 24645.html

Oct 3, 2006 11:41 am US/Central

Immigrant Mother's Son Goes To Washington
Saul Arellano Hopes President Will Receive Letter Asking That His Mother Can Stay

(AP) WASHINGTON The 7-year-old son of an immigration activist who has holed up in a church in an effort to avoid deportation has traveled to Washington, D-C in hopes of delivering a letter to the White House today.

Saul Arellano is a U.S. citizen but his mother, Elvira, came to the United States illegally nearly a decade ago. They have been living at a Chicago church since mid-August to avoid her deportation to Mexico.

Saul is visiting the nation's capital with members of the Chicago immigration rights group, Centro Sin Fronteras.

Robert Lopez is director of the organization's legal program. He says Saul plans to participate in a news conference in Washington this morning and request a meeting with President Bush to ask that his mother be allowed to stay in the country.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... thwest-hed

Immigrant's son to lobby on her behalf in capital


By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
Tribune staff reporter

October 3, 2006

The 7-year-old son of a Chicago woman fighting deportation to Mexico traveled to Washington, D.C., Monday, hoping to persuade President George Bush to intervene on the woman's behalf.

Since mid-August, Elvira Arellano has taken refuge in Adalberto United Methodist Church in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, living there with her son, Saul, to avoid deportation.

Saul, a U.S. citizen, is in the nation's capital with members of the Chicago immigration rights group, Centro Sin Fronteras, hoping to deliver a letter to the White House, said Robert Lopez, director of the organization's legal program.

Saul Arellano plans to hold a news conference Tuesday and will then try to deliver the letter to the president, Lopez said.

"He's requesting a meeting with President Bush and asking for his mother to be allowed to stay here in this country," Lopez said. Saul Arellano's letter also hopes to make the president aware of the dozens of other children who are losing their parents to deportation, Lopez added.

Elvira Arellano, 31, crossed into the United States illegally in 1997. She was arrested and sent back to Mexico, but she returned soon after.

In 2002, she was arrested and convicted of working as a cleaning woman at O'Hare International Airport under a false Social Security number. She had been ordered to surrender to authorities for deportation Aug. 15 but instead took refuge in the church.

On Friday, a federal judge rejected her latest bid to stay in the United States. The pastor of church had filed a lawsuit on Saul Arellano's behalf, contending his rights would be violated if his mother were deported. The judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying Elvira Arellano's deportation would not affect her son's legal right to stay in this country.

This was not Saul Arellano's first cross-country trip on behalf of his mother. Last month, Emma Lozano, the executive director of Centro Sin Fronteras, took him to the National Latino Congress in Los Angeles, hoping to build legal support and media attention.

Centro Sin Fronteras had planned for some time to take Saul Arellano to Washington, hoping to draw the president's attention, Lopez said.

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nahmed@tribune.com