Chicago protesters gather after immigration activist arrested in L.A.




Associated Press - August 19, 2007 10:24 PM ET

CHICAGO (AP) - More than 30 people are gathered outside a U.S. Immigration office in downtown Chicago to protest the arrest of an illegal immigrant who had sought sanctuary in a Chicago church.

Immigration authorities confirm they arrested Elvira Arellano (el-VEE'-ruh ah-ray-AH'-noh) this afternoon in Los Angeles.

The agency says she's being processed for removal to Mexico based upon a deportation order originally issued by a federal judge in 1997.

In Chicago, protesters are huddled around a small statue of the Virgin Mary, chanting, beating drums, and reciting the Lord's Prayer. One is holding a placard with a picture of Arellano's son.

Arellano had sought refuge in the Adalberto United Methodist Church to avoid being separated from her 8-year-old son.

She left the church for the first time in a year to campaign for immigration reform in Los Angeles this weekend.

http://www.ksby.com/global/story.asp?s=6953341