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Elvira Arellano (born 1975) is a Mexican citizen living illegally in the United States who, facing deportation from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, took sanctuary in the Adalberto United Methodist Church, of Chicago in August 2006. As of January 2007 she had not been removed from the church. She is considered a fugitive by U.S. authorities. She is the president of La Familia Latina Unida (United Latino Family), a group that lobbies for families that could be split by deportation.

History

Arellano entered the United States illegally in 1997, was apprehended and deported back to Mexico by the United States government. She returned within days and lived for three years in Oregon.

In 1999, she gave birth to Saul Arellano whose father remains unnamed by his mother. Saul, now 7, is a United States citizen by virtue of having been born on United States soil. In 2000, she moved to Chicago and worked as a cleaning woman at O'Hare International Airport. In 2002, following a post-September 11 security sweep, she was arrested and convicted of using a false Social Security number to obtain employment and was sentenced to three years probation.

Arellano was ordered to appear before immigration authorities on August 15, 2006. Instead, on that date, she took refuge in the Adalberto United Methodist church in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago to avoid arrest and deportation.

On November 14, 2006 in Mexico City, Saul Arellano, appeared before the Congress of Mexico . The Mexican lawmakers passed a resolution to urge the United States government to suspend the deportation of Arellano and other parents of children who are United States citizens.

Impact

Arellano and her supporters assert that to deport her would be to violate the rights of her son Saul, a United States citizen, as he would be forced to be deported with her. There are an estimated 4.9 million U.S. citizen children of illegal immigrants currently in the United States. Critics of Arellano counter that she is exploiting her son, whom they consider an example of an anchor baby, in order to remain in the United States.

Latino advocates have highlighted this case as one of civil rights. Arellano's right of sanctuary and her right to stay in the United States has been taken up by civil rights groups such as National Alliance for Immigrants' Rights, NCLR, LULAC, among others. In support, La Placita, a historic Los Angeles church, declared itself a sanctuary for any undocumented immigrant facing deportation, something it did during the 1980's for the first refugees from war-ridden Guatemala and El Salvador who escaped to California. The U.S. government's position is that Arellano is free to take Saul with her to Mexico in order to keep her family together. U.S. Law does not recognize the right of sanctuary.

On May 3, 2007, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) introduced H.R. 2182, which would grant legal immigrant status, with the possibility of applying for permanent residence status, to Arellano as well as 33 other people. The bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and (as of May 9th, 2007) has yet to move out of the committee.

See also

• Illegal immigration to the United States
• Mexican American

References

1. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/15/migrant.mom.ap/index.html
2. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/19/national/main1913833.shtml?source=RSS
3. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/15/migrant.mom.ap/index.html
4. ^ http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/135637,deport111406.article
5. "Boy wages fight for mother," Oscar Avila. Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Nov 15, 2006. pg. 1
6. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/14/world/main2181120.shtml
7. ^ http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/remember-the-immigrant-rights-movement/14317
8. Byassee, Jason (Oct 31, 2006). "Sanctuary (...the new Rosa Parks)". The Christian Century. p. Vol.123, Iss. 22; pg. 10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2182

• Mexican people
• 1975 births
• Living people
• Latino civil rights activists
• Mexican American leaders
• Protestants