Elvira Arellano is back in Mexico, where she belongs. Her 8-year old son, Saul, a U.S. citizen by birth will start school in September, living under the care of Rev. Walter Coleman, who had given him and his mother “sanctuary” for the past year in the Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago.
Arellano’s arrest draws “renewed attention to the plight of hundreds of thousands of families who are in the same situation,” the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, national coordinator of the Los Angeles-based New Sanctuary Movement, tells The Washington Post. She adds that Arellano represents “families with U.S.-citizen children, with a long work record in this country, no criminal history, and who are part of the fabric of our country, who face the prospect of having parents ripped away from their kids.”
“Actually, Arellano is a convicted felon,” writes San Francisco Chronicle
columnist Debra J. Saunders:
When Arellano snuck across the border in August 1997, she was caught and deported. Arellano then chose to break American law again. She re-entered the country – a felony that, if prosecuted, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. …
According to ICE, Arellano was “working illegally for a janitorial services business whose employees had access to security sensitive areas.” Subsequently, Arellano was convicted for using someone else’s Social Security number – a felony.
Saunders has little patience for the “plight” of parents “ripped away” from their kids”:
Arellano and her defenders argue that because Saul is a U.S. citizen, Elvira should not be forced to return to Mexico and that the U.S. government should not split up families.
Of course, if family unification were important to Elvira Arellano, she should have stayed in Mexico with her family.
Now, she is free to bring her son to Mexico to live with her.
ICE spokeswoman Gail Montenegro noted that it is sad that the son will pay for his mother’s choices. And: “ICE is not in the business of separating families. Ultimately parents must take the responsibility for the outcome of their illegal actions or decisions.”
Clearly, Arellano does not want Saul to live with her in Mexico. Rather, she wants to live in the U.S. with Saul.
Arellano has been using that child as a human shield, says Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. An editorial in the Chicago Tribune goes further, suggesting that Arellano was using Saul as a publicity magnet:
He often has been pushed under the klieg lights to recite lines about the injustice of his mother’s treatment and his fear of losing her to deportation.
While his mother holed up at Chicago’s Adalberto United Methodist Church for the last year defying authorities, Saul has been trotted out to march at the head of the Puerto Rican People’s Parade, speak at rallies, visit lawmakers in the Mexican parliament and go on TV. Instead of trying to make his childhood as normal as possible under the circumstances, Arellano has assigned him the role of public advocate – a heavy burden for a child.
At his age, Saul wants his mother more than he wants to exercise his citizenship. Forcing him to return to the U.S. proves that Arellano is an unfit mother. What she is doing is tantamount to child abandonment. Why shouldn’t authorities in IL initiate proceedings to terminate Arellano parental rights?
There are about 3.1 million American-born children of illegal immigrants, according to estimates by the Urban Institute and the Pew Hispanic Center. When word gets out to the unknowable numbers of immigrants planning to cross illegally into the U.S. days before their due dates that they risk being deported and losing their “anchor,” there will be a dramatic decrease in the numbers of “blended families” being created. And Rev. Salvatierra can find something else to worry about.
Editorial Note: The Arellano story is one of the first The Stiletto has come across that Google News has accompanied with a comment.
6 users commented in " Adios, Muchacha! "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWe have to change this stupid law. Just because someone spawns here, the thing is a citizen? Hell, no. The Bible had it right: go back to your country of origin for the census. Spit out your issue there. Come back and get nailed to something. whatever. For the few bucks my vote is worth, this kid isn’t American. It’s a sin to even consider him civilized. Drop him back into the jungles of Mexico where he belongs. Maybe he’ll find the bitch who spawned him, or maybe he’ll be eaten by the cannibals down there. In any case, keep his and his bitch’s genes out of our pool. They probably can’t even spell “limbaugh”. Idiots.
Great analysis. Doesn’t it burn your butt when “they” protest and it is given legitimate weight in the media. Deport the “bitch” and her son.
Arellano is a felon by definition of the law. She is, as any felon a criminal that should have been jailed. Her child, being born of a criminal alien, is not eligible for automatic citizenship. regardless, the woman should be serving jail time and then deported under the US Laws and so she was treated very kindly. Those protesting on our US streets for justice, need to keep that in mind. Illegal aliens are breaking our laws every minute they remain here. Homeland security, border patrol, and the INS should do everything to stop this rape of our country by illegal aliens. those that employ illegals should be punished to the full extent of the law. Then, and only then will the aliens leave. No benefits, freebees, aid, education, medical, etc., or jobs for illegal aliens!
If my memory or history serves us correctly, then who were the first immigrants here? Oh yes, I believe it was the pigrams. Did the immigrants of west european descent ask the native americans for permission to stay and live here. Humm…..No. So therefore everyone here except for the native americans, who by the way we shooved on reservations, are illegal aliens. So why doesn’t every take the advice that The Stiletto said to Arellano and we all go back to where we or our anciestors came from? Great idea huh.
OK, we can all take Amy’s view – let’s go back to the pre-historic days and determine who was here and who wasn’t. That is, quite simply, a stupid argument. The fact is enforcement has to start somewhere and sometime. The law is the law as it is now, not as it was 200 years ago. And the law makes clear this lady is an illegal alien, caught not only sneaking into our country but then going about identity theft, a felony. Ever had your visa card stolen? Our 14th amendment was written to give slaves citizenship, and it is being abused in our current circumstances. As an amendment it is VERY difficult to change. That is whole other discussion. In the meantime, we can at least enforce current laws – and under these and the 14th amendment, this lady has no right to stay in our country. She is using the whole sanctuary movement approach to drum up support – but does not deserve any. As a citizen of Mexico and a felon here, she should go home. And if she wants her child with her, then she should bring him back to Mexico. End of story. Sympathy? Sure, for all poor people. That is why I pay taxes and give at church. Allowing illegals permanent status because of their life choices? Sorry. Go home, where you are legal and can live life without fear of being locked up.
As Bob points out, Native Americans are not “native” to North America. Their forebears crossed a long-gone landbridge between Asia and the North American continent – which had been hitherto uninhabited. But now that the USA has existed with defined borders for more years than people who make Amy’s argument can count, it is our federal government’s obligation to protect our soverignty by maintaining secure borders. Arellano does “belong” in Mexico because she is a citizen of that country. Mexican immigrants to apply for visas, then green cards and take the oath of citizenship “belong” in the USA. This should be one of those DUH concepts, but apparently …
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