Thread: A boy's fight for family unity (Elvira's son)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 79748.html

A boy's fight for family unity
4/2/07

Understandably, 8-year-old Saul Arellano has trouble sitting still — especially during lengthy forums where the adults talk about immigration reform — even if he is the one in the spotlight.

For the past half-year, Saul has been on a quest to save his mother, Elvira Arellano, from deportation — visiting and urging lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and in Mexico to allow parents who are undocumented immigrants to remain in the country with their U.S.-born children.

Elvira Arellano has taken sanctuary in a Chicago church for the past six months, defying an order to appear in immigration court.

Her son, meanwhile, has become his mother's ambassador, a poster child who traveled to San Antonio, Austin and Houston over the weekend with immigrant-rights activists who run the church he also calls home.

The second-grader is shy at times.

His interest of the day was getting in playtime at Chuck E. Cheese's, but he repeated his simple message during two forums in Houston on Sunday: "I want to tell President Bush to stop the raids and deportations so my mother and other families can stay here in the United States," the boy said in Spanish before returning to a comfortable seat beneath a table in front of a crowded room.

The Rev. Walter Coleman and his wife, Emma Lozano, traveled with "Saulito," as he is called, to Texas at the request of activists here.

Coleman said: "Texas is probably one of the most important states in the country in terms of the issue of immigration reform," given U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's stance on immigration reform, which he believes "represents the voice of the White House."

According to the Associated Press, a White House draft of immigration legislation that circulated around Capitol Hill last week includes border security measures and a guest-worker program that would provide a pathway to legal residency for illegal immigrants after they've returned to their home country and paid hefty fines.

Activists say that if legislation is not passed within the next few months, there likely will be no action taken until a new president takes office.


False documents
Elvira Arellano was arrested during a post-Sept. 11 sweep of Chicago's O'Hare airport, where she was working under a fake Social Security number.
She was named one of Time magazine's 2006 People Who Mattered.

Elvira Arellano and her son are "responding to the 4 million children who, every day when they come home, don't know if their families are going to be there," Coleman told a group of 150 that gathered at St. Albert of Trapani Catholic Church in southwest Houston.

Saul also visited the Central American Resource Center here.

Although immigration enforcement activists disagree, Lozano said,"Saul represents 4 million U.S.-citizen children who have a right to grow up in the country."

Jose Luis and Leticia Martinez attended one of the community forums with their three children to see the boy who's made international headlines.

While his oldest daughter was born in Mexico, his two youngest children are U.S. citizens, so "we identify," Jose Luis Martinez said.

"It's something that could happen to us."

cynthia.garza@chron.com

Now this a case the DOJ should have taken. She is in no other words abusing that kid. He should be taken by Child Welfare.

This just makes my blood boil!!!!!!!

I'm beginning to think that American citizens should start taking THEIR children to Washinton to show how their lives have been impacted by illegals.

Has anyone ever talked to OUR American kids to ask them how they feel about this illegal situation. . . how it's impacting them?

How many of OUR kids have been assaulted . . . how many of OUR kids have had to endure bi-lingual education . . . how many of OUR kids are afraid to go into certain places because they fear getting beaten up -- or worse!

Well back to tax season -- just had to have my say!!!

That is truly a shame. She is using her child and that is an abomination.

Sadly, too many people will fall into their trap and get sucked into their little scheme.

God help us!

His mother had been deported before she crossed the border and had the child. Elvira has committed social security fraud and is criminal. She should not be allowed to stay in america regardless. Once again where is the father. The child needs to be taken away from Elvira and given to the father.

This is definitly child abuse, there is no good reason this girl can not take her kid to Mexico with her.

Children all over the world grow up in countrys other than the ones they were born in. What about kids that are adopted from other countrys and brought here, are they saying these children have absolutly no other relatives in their home country, I doubt it, just ones that can not take care of them.

The anchor babies can go to Mexico with their parents, they need to send a sign that those children are not going to get you citizenship for breaking the laws. It is time to get serious here, they must all be treated the same. GOOD BY GO HOME and try to come the right way, although now that you have broken the law twice I doubt is you can come back at all.TO BAD!!!

His interest of the day was getting in playtime

This is what he should be doing-playing. A child's work at this age is school. He should not be brainwashed into being an activist for something he most likely doesn't completely understand.

The best thing that could happen to this child is that he is taken away from his mother and put into a loving family situation where he will not be used.

I wrote to the Chronicle about this story, they probably wont print it, but I had to get it off my chest, what do ya think?

The plight of the children of illegals is getting old Mon April 2 (A boy's fight
for family unity) Yes we feel bad for these kids. But its their parents who should
be held responsible, not the people of America. Stop trying to pull at our heart
strings with these stories. It's appalling that these law breakers are demanding
rights and then use their kids to make us feel bad. They come here for a better
life that nine times out of ten doesn't happen., Because of no education, no
language skills and no job skills.They are stuck. Low pay dead end jobs, and who
gets stuck with the bill, the U.S. tax payer. And what kind of example are they
sending to their kids, it's okay break the law to get what you want. Just take
it. This kid's mom used the church and the system to get were she is at. And
it's wrong on so many levels, and then we are suppose to just forget about her
lawlessness and just pay her bills I don't think so. She can take her child
and go home and apply for citizenship, lawfully like she should have in the first
place.

Good letter Peanut! I wish they would quit printing "sob" stories too. It isn't our fault these people crossed the border and live among us illegally. They should all be deported along with rest of of their family members.

The kid was speaking spanish.
So much for assimulation.