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Posting Date: January 2, 2007

Immigrant Mother’s Plight Deserves Sympathy
By RAY HANANIA

Last August, Elivira Arellano, 31, asked for and received “sanctuary”from Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago in an effort to prevent the INS from deporting her.

Arellano is a so-called “illegal” alien who entered this country without government approval. She was caught and deported once before, but she returned from her homeland, Mexico and re-entered the United States settling in Chicago.

One compelling reason is that she has a now eight-year-old son, Saul, who was born in this country and therefore has American citizenship. But under U.S. law, Americans cannot petition to have their parents obtain citizenship until the children reach the age of 21.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are more than 2 million families in the United States who have members that have “mixed status,” a polite term for being “undocumented” or “illegal” aliens. These families have nearly 4 million children, most U.S.-born and citizens.

It is a difficult situation.

On one hand, many Americans are clamoring to close the immigration doors that were once opened to allow their own parents and grandparents to enter this country.

A part of the opposition from “mainstream” Americans is racism. When the parents and grandparents and even great grandparents of these “Americans” entered the country, most came from Europe. They were mostly “White,” or “Caucasian.” They were also mostly Christian, the dominant religion of this country.

These days, the majority of immigrants seeking citizenship in this country are from Third World countries. Most of them are of color and many are not even Christian.

And that is driving the growing opposition to increased immigration to this country. “Whites” and “mainstream” Americans believe that the door should be closed and only opened in select cases.

In fact, recent surveys show that most Americans do not support Arellano’s case and want her deported, even though her son is an American citizen.

Apparently, being an “American” is no longer enough. You have to be the “right kind of American” to enjoy the freedoms this country claims are waiting for the “tired -- poor -- huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

The phrase is “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” It was written in 1883 by a Jewish immigrant and author, Emma Lazarus, included in her poem “The New Colossus.” It so symbolized what this nation stands for it was eventually engraved on the plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty that welcomed all of the immigrant parents of nearly everyone who claims to be an American today.

But the spirit that was once America has changed, in part because of the rising international crisis, the threat of terrorism and the false impression in this country that associates crime with race and minorities.

Yes, many White Americans think Blacks, Hispanics and “other” minorities are responsible for the crimes we experience in this country. It’s not true, but it makes them feel comfortable to believe that lie.

Economic hardships drive much of the crime and one-day this country might find a way to address the economic divide that has created such a large and poor class of people, many minorities who, because of race and lack of education are often deprived of work.

To me, the battle being waged by Arellano is a battle to restore the spirit that is America. It’s not a White America. It’s not a European America. It is America. It is exactly about opening our doors and embracing the waves of foreigners who wish to enter this country and using our often-praised high levels of American education to find solutions to help assimilate those new immigrants.

Instead, what we see evolving is a new form of accepted racism. A vicious demagoguery that says that if you are “like me,” -- meaning that you fit the typical profile defined by White European Americans -- then you are welcome.

Nothing symbolizes this vicious, diseased mentality more than the recent battle and hateful attacks against Keith Ellison. Ellison is an American who was elected to represent a congressional district in Minnesota. He is African American, but he is also Muslim and he said he hoped to swear his oath of office using a copy of the Quran, the bible used my Muslims who follow the Islamic religion.

Although no Bible of any sort is required for congressmen to swear an oath -- it is done enmasse, but congressmen can hold a bible or any book they wish during the oath-taking ceremony -- several racists and bigots have attacked Ellison claiming that he symbolizes the new threat facing America.

Among those bigots are radio talk show host Dennis Prager. CNN talk show hater Glenn Beck. And, Ellison’s fellow congressman from Virginia, Virgil Goode. Goode has called for America to adopt new laws to prevent Muslims from entering the country, warning that if this is not done, the Muslims will take over.

There are many challenges facing the assimilation of new immigrants, such as language. But there are ways to help them overcome those challenges. That’s what we should focus on.

Being American is about being proud because we stand for principle, justice, freedom and morality.

Opposing people because of their religion, their national origin or their inability to speak English is exactly what being American is not about.

If Goode, Prager, Beck and other racists in this country succeed in closing the doors of freedom, then we might as well take down the Statue of Liberty and instead erect a Wall. Or maybe a Barbed-wire fence. Maybe soldiers standing in watch towers pointing their guns at the people below.

That would be a more accurate symbol for the racist fear of immigration that built this country.

It’s worked. We don’t need to change it.

Give Arellano her citizenship, Allow her to stay in this country.

And when Ellison takes the oath of office, because he is an American, we should applaud him regardless of whether he carries a copy of the Muslim bible, the Quran.