Thread: Elvira plans to fight from the other side of the border

By PETER PRENGAMAN Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES Aug 20, 2007 (AP)


An illegal immigrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born son has been deported to Mexico, the church's pastor and immigration officials said.

Elvira Arellano became an activist and a national symbol for illegal immigrant parents as she defied her deportation order and spoke out from her sanctuary. She left the church over the weekend, saying she was risking arrest to lobby U.S. lawmakers for changes to immigration laws.

She was arrested Sunday outside Our Lady Queen of Angels church in Los Angeles and deported several hours later, said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago, where Arellano had been living.

"She is free and in Tijuana," said Coleman, who said he spoke to her on the phone. "She is in good spirits. She is ready to continue the struggle against the separation of families from the other side of the border."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents returned Arellano at about 10 p.m. PDT Sunday (0500 GMT Monday) through San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing, said ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack. Arellano walked through a metal turnstile and was greeted by Mexican authorities in Tijuana.

Arellano was held for about three hours at San Diego's Otay Mesa immigration detention center Sunday night while U.S. and Mexican authorities met there to discuss the case, Mack said.

"They weren't necessarily trying to get her to stay, they were just doing their jobs," Mack said. "Obviously this was a woman who didn't want to go. They wanted to make sure any possible legal avenue that may have been open to her was closed."

"This was a very, very sensitive removal for us as well as Mexico," Mack said.

Arellano's 8-year-old son, Saul, is now living with Coleman's family. During a news conference in Los Angeles after Arellano's arrest, the boy hid behind the pastor's wife and wiped away tears.

Immigration officials said he remained with Coleman's family at the request of Arellano.

"From the time I took sanctuary, the possibility has existed that they arrest me in the place and time they want," Arellano said in Spanish during a Saturday speech at an L.A. church. "I only have two choices. I either go to my country, Mexico, or stay and keep fighting. I decided to stay and fight.

Arellano, 32, arrived in Washington state illegally in 1997. She was deported to Mexico shortly afterward, but returned and moved to Illinois in 2000, taking a job cleaning planes at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

She was arrested in 2002 at O'Hare and convicted of working under a false Social Security number. She was to surrender to authorities last August but instead sought refuge at the church on Aug. 15, 2006.

She had not left the church property until she decided to travel by car to Los Angeles, Coleman said.

Arellano is staying with a friend in Tijuana, Coleman said. He said she had brought to light her struggle, and for that, "she has won a victory."

She'll be organizing on the Mexican side of the border while we're organizing in the (United) States," Coleman said Monday. "She'll be talking to organizations throughout Mexico and congressmen in Mexico City."

Coleman said he and other activists will continue Arellano's original plan to go to Washington, D.C., and take part in a prayer meeting and rally for immigration reform at the Capitol on Sept. 12.

Immigration activists promised protests and vigils to support Arellano.

"We are sad, but at the same time we are angry," said Javier Rodriguez, a Chicago immigration activist who worked with Arellano. "How dare they arrest this woman?"

Anti-illegal immigrant groups said the arrest was long overdue.

"Just because the woman has gone public and made an issue of the fact that she is defying law doesn't mean the government doesn't have to do its job," said Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limits on immigration.

Arellano has repeatedly called for a stop to immigration raids that break up families with some members who are in the U.S. legally and others illegally. She has said her son would be deprived of his rights as a U.S. citizen if he had to go to Mexico simply because she did.

Emma Lozano, Coleman's wife and head of immigration rights group Centro Sin Fronteras in Chicago, said she was Saul's legal guardian.

"He's taking it better than we thought he would," Lozano said.

While being arrested, Arellano spoke briefly with her son before submitting to authorities, Lozano said.

"She calmed him down, hugged him and gave him a blessing," Lozano said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Exclusiva/WireSto ... 274&page=1

I don't understand what her problem is, she has claimed Mexico as her country and now she is back there. She can easily take her son with her if she wants to. She should be happy as she could have gone to jail for ID fraud.
I think she got off very easy and should count her blessings.

If her son stays in the U.S., without working parents to support him, he can get free education up to college, welfare, food stamps, healthcare, etc.. all paid by you and me.

Arellano was held for about three hours at San Diego's Otay Mesa immigration detention center Sunday night while U.S. and Mexican authorities met there to discuss the case, Mack said.

Why are we "discussing" illegal immigration cases with the Mexican government? There is nothing to debate, illegal invader captured and returned...end of discussion! Does anybody besides me think the Mexican government has way too much influence in the affairs of this country already???

Emma Lozano, Coleman's wife and head of immigration rights group Centro Sin Fronteras in Chicago, said she was Saul's legal guardian.

So the good pastor is involved with a "immigration rights group" eh?
Maybe he can help them distinguish the difference between legal and illegal activity. No wait! He's still trying to understand the difference between a Saducee and a minister of God....

If the pastor is the legal guardian then they need to support the child, not rest of america. Acutally that child should go to be Mexico with his mother. Illegals say that they care about being separated from their families but many of them have left their children and spouses in their own countries so how can they possible be concerned about being separated from their families. What I keep asking is where is the father? Also they say she re-enterd the country in 2000 and the son is 8. How could the son be 8 and be a legal american when she did not re-enter until 2000. The numbers don't add up.

She should "fight" to improve the conditions in her OWN country, rather than expecting U.S. middle class citizens to absorb all the costs of illegal aliens from corrupt third world countries.

OK....isn't using false ID a crime???????
isn't not showing up for sentencing a no-no??????
Isn't crossing the border ONCE a felony???????
Isn't being deported and crossing the border for a second time a BIG felony punishable by many (5-7?) years in prison?????????

I'd say she got off Easy by just being deported..... should have put her in jail and then she couldn't do her sob story behind bars....

Now if this was us ...Americans....and did a felony like this....we'd be behind bars

Originally Posted by grandmasmad

OK....isn't using false ID a crime???????
isn't not showing up for sentencing a no-no??????
Isn't crossing the border ONCE a felony???????
Isn't being deported and crossing the border for a second time a BIG felony punishable by many (5-7?) years in prison?????????

I'd say she got off Easy by just being deported..... should have put her in jail and then she couldn't do her sob story behind bars....

Now if this was us ...Americans....and did a felony like this....we'd be behind bars

Ohhh you ain't kidding about us being behind bars! Boosh would throw our families in jail too on some sort of bogus charges of terror or anarchy!

Originally Posted by BorderLegionnaire

Ohhh you ain't kidding about us being behind bars! Boosh would throw our families in jail too on some sort of bogus charges of terror or anarchy!

I think they plan to do that anyway.

She states she had two choices she could go "back to her country" or "stay and fight" looks to me like she did not have a choice at all. she is lucky since she is a felon that she is not in jail. We will support the child, you can bet on it!!



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