Posted on 08/21/2007 7:19:22 PM PDT by doug from upland
Elvira...Elvira...say adios to Elvira
She sneaked in the country...that's against the law
She ripped off someone's SS number...that is what...we saw
Then in a church she's hiding...she stayed there for a year
Just what part of "illegal" isn't clear?
Elvira...Elvira...say adios to Elvira
Adios...adios...adios to Elvira
She thinks that she's gonna be the brand new Rosa Parks
That dog will not hunt, my friends...no, it will not even bark
Our country's been invaded...and the bank they are gonna break
Open borders is a big mistake
Elvira...Elvira...say adios to Elvira
Adios...adios...adios to Elvira
Elvira...Elvira...say adios to Elvira
Adios to Elvira
Where is the Um Poppa Mau mau?
What no photos of Elvira Mistress of Darkness??? Oops! Wrong that Elvira.
She’s gone, do you want rest gone too? (LIBERAL COLUMNIST MOURNS LOSS OF ELVIRA ARELLANO)
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 21, 2007 | MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist
Posted on 08/21/2007 5:06:51 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
In the end, Elvira Arellano asked for it. I’ll grant you that. By making a run for Los Angeles, Arellano left federal immigration officials little choice but to grab her and deport her to Mexico — bringing an end to her yearlong act of defiance since taking sanctuary in a Division Street church. What puzzles me is all the people who seem to be cheering this outcome. I’m not.
If you’re of the opinion that Arellano deserved to be sent back to Mexico, then it logically follows that you want all 12 million illegals to return there with her.
Do you?
I realize that’s precisely what a certain segment of the population does want, but it seems there are people who would normally be more open-minded in their attitudes who are drawing some distinction between Arellano and the rest of the illegal immigrant population.
Maybe they don’t understand: There’s no real difference. Elvira Arellano’s situation is very typical.
She tried to sneak into the country. She got caught. She tried again and made it. She obtained fake IDs to get a job. She made a life here. She had a child. All this puts her in the mainstream of the illegal immigrant community.
It’s only then that her story diverges somewhat from the rest, mainly because Arellano’s job was doing janitorial work at O’Hare Airport. In the post-9/11 wave of security consciousness, she was swept up in a raid ostensibly aimed at making the airport safe from terrorists. When officials discovered that Arellano was using somebody else’s Social Security number, she was criminally prosecuted.
Fake IDs a problem, face crack down OK, we can’t have workers taking other people’s Social Security numbers, potentially messing up their lives. But how do you think the other 12 million are supporting themselves?
If they are working in any industry where they are required to provide documentation, then they are using a false Social Security number, just like Arellano. That’s probably most of them, only they haven’t been so unfortunate as to be criminally prosecuted. The rest are probably working for cash, and how is that better?
Are these immigrants taking false Social Security numbers in an effort to steal somebody else’s identity, use their credit? No, they’re trying to work and support themselves. In most cases, they’ve probably used their own name, address and date of birth.
If they’re lucky or smart or obtained their fake ID from somebody who is smart, then they are using a Social Security number that hasn’t yet been assigned to another individual or belonged to someone who has died. That way they don’t expose themselves to identity theft charges.
If we were to give them a legal means to work, most would take advantage of it. But we can’t agree politically on how to do that.
Knowing all this, employers have been hiring illegal immigrants anyway. If you look around you, it would appear there is a demand for their services.
But I guess we’re about to find out. The federal government is in the process of cracking down on fake Social Security numbers, and by late next month, a whole lot of illegal immigrants are going to be out of work, the consequence of which is unknown.
Took guts to stay and fight The other distinguishing aspect to Arellano’s story is that when she was ordered to leave, she didn’t quietly comply, nor did she slip off into the masses and relocate someplace else in the U.S. She chose to stay and fight it out publicly, making herself the human face of this bitter dispute. That took guts. As a nation, however, we seem to like it better when Mexicans stay out of sight.
I believe a lot of people don’t like Arellano simply because they find her “uppity.”
Yes, I use the word advisedly, aware of its historical connotations. (And no, Arellano never should have compared herself to Rosa Parks. It was presumptuous.)
Then there are those who are irritated because Arellano has put her 8-year-old son out front in the controversy. I didn’t care for that much either.
But I can understand why she did it. People need to see there are families involved in these situations, young children included.
Because he was born here, Arellano’s son is a U.S. citizen. He’s entitled to stay here. If we say he can stay but his mother has to go back to Mexico, what kind of a choice is that for a young boy?
The anti-immigration crowd says one down, 12 million to go.
I hope the rest of you think it through.
mailto:markbrown@suntimes.com
I wonder if the person whose SSN she stole is still alive. If so and if the person’s name is in the public record, perhaps that person would allow an interview to explain how the immigration issue has personally affected them.
That is a great idea, but I don’t have the time to search for that person.
I have lived in several foreign nations as an invited guest, and none of them would have excused me for presenting fraudulent ID.
Shouldn't be a hard choice. The kid should choose to be with his mother if he was any kind of a son. Unless he was being abused, of course.
Anchor babies, though citizens by federal law, is contingent on the interpretation of the 14th amendment. There is still debate going on concerning the 'subject to the jurisdiction' clause. The mother, according to some, (and I agree) cannot be subject to federal jurisdiction until she becomes a citizen as provided by law. Therefore, her child should not be eligible for citizenship either. IMO.
I agree, this anchor baby stuff is ridiculous. I actually think repealing that interpretation would slow down illegal immigration considerably as women would have less reason to want to come over the border. Furthermore, the judges would have less reason to prohibit sending them back. Now, you get the anchor baby and likely as not you get the parent(s) who get to stay despite the fact that their first act upon entering the US was to break Federal law.
Sounds like the gummint was out to legally steal babies for some reason.
Adios, Muchacha!
Political Mavens/Jewish World Review ^ | August 22, 2007
Posted on 08/22/2007 4:40:24 AM PDT by theothercheek
Elvira Arellano is back in Mexico, where she belongs. Her 8-year old son, Saul, a U.S. citizen by birth, is with her for now. In September Saul will return to the U.S. to go to school, 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’s 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
You may insert that as necessary.
Madre indocumentada sigue luchando por su hijo
Search WWW Search pww.org
Archive Oct. 2001 - 2007 editions 2006 Editions Nov. 18, 2006
Author: Pepe Lozano
People’s Weekly World Newspaper, 11/16/06 16:00
Elvira Arellano, su hijo de 7 años, y su perrita Daisy en la Iglesia Metodista Unida Adalberto en Chicago, el 30 de octubre. Foto por Pepe Lozano/PWW-Nuestro Mundo.
CHICAGO — Hacen dos meses y medio desde que Elvira Arellano tomó refugio en una iglesia del noroeste de Chicago, desafiando a los esfuerzos del gobierno que quiere deportarla a México. No obstante, Arellano se siente optimista de su futuro y dice que su lucha de resistir la deportación para quedarse en el país junto con su hijo de siete años, Saúl, que nació en Estados Unidos y es ciudadano del país, vale la pena.
Arellano le dijo a Nuestro Mundo, “Si no luchó, nada pasa”. Ella agregó, en una entrevista en la Iglesia Metodista Unida Adalberto, que tenía “mucho que ganar” peleando su deportación.
Como presidenta del grupo local La Familia Latina Unida, Arellano se ha convertido en un símbolo nacional de padres indocumentados que quieren quedarse en EEUU con sus hijos ciudadanos. Ella dijo que su organización está dedicada a ayudar a las familias, separadas por las fracasadas leyes migratorias, mantenerse juntas.
“Nuestra meta es la demanda colectiva para poner fin a las deportaciones injustas de padres”, dijo Arellano. “Es irónico que las leyes de inmigración se están proponiendo y debatiendo y todavía hay deportaciones diarias, redadas y las reglas injustas de inmigración se está haciendo cumplir por el departamento de Seguridad Patria”.
El presidente Bush recientemente firmó un proyecto para crear un muro de 700 millas en la frontera de 2.000 millas en la frontera austral. Bush dice que se está poniendo fuerte con la seguridad fronteriza y que está tomando pasos agresivos para combatir a la “inmigración ilegal”.
“Es un juego político de los republicanos para ganarse el voto conservador en las elecciones de noviembre”, dijo Arellano en la entrevista hecha antes de la derrota republicana en el Congreso el 7 de noviembre. Arellano dijo que ella animaba a la gente salir a votar, notando que al ganar los demócratas el control del Congreso sería mejor para gente como ella y todo el movimiento de derechos de los inmigrantes.
“Somos solo padres de familia que venimos aquí a trabajar”, ella dijo. “Ninguno de nosotros venimos aquí para que nos tilden de terroristas o delincuentes. Vinimos en busca de nuestros sueños”.
Arellano dijo que la unidad con las comunidades no latinas es importante. “Como trabajadores indocumentados sufrimos el mismo racismo y discriminación como la comunidad afroamericana”, ella dijo. “Nuestras comunidades necesitan apoyarse una a la otra”.
El pasado septiembre, un juez federal rechazó una demanda de parte de Saúl que argumentaba que sus derechos civiles serían violados si su madre fuera deportada.
A mediano de octubre Arellano presentó una demanda de parte de los millones de niños ciudadanos estadounidenses en contra el gobierno estadounidense, el presidente Bush, el secretario de Justicia Alberto Gonzáles y el jefe de la Seguridad Patria, Michael Chertoff. La demanda dice que las reglas estadounidenses de deportación desbaratan a las familias y son en esensia una forma de abuso de niños.
La Familia Latina Unida organizó una autobus de niños ciudadanos, sus padres y partidarios para viajar a Washington el 2 de noviembre para respaldar la demanda.
En su viaje a Washington, Saúl llevó a cabo una “reunión de niños” allí con sus amigos de Chicago; en esa oportunidad trató de entregar una carta al presidente Bush. Esta fue su segunda tentativa de reunirse con el presidente.
Roberto Maldonado, comisionado del Condade Cook, inspirado por la valentía de Arellano, escribió un proyecto de ley que designa a todo el condado, incluyendo a Chicago, como refugio de inmigrantes. La medida prohibirá a los empleados del condado preguntarle a gente sobre su estado migratorio. De esta manera se asegura que los inmigrantes indocumentados tengan acceso a todos los servicios del condado.
El hijo de Elvira Arellano, Saúl, le dijo a Nuestro Mundo, “Yo quiero que el presidente pare las redadas para ayudar a los niños quedarse con sus mamás y papás”. Él dijo que su madre era especial porque “ella quiere quedarse aquí conmigo”.
Arellano dijo que no se siente como prisionera en la iglesia. Ella tiene todo lo que necesita, inclusive su computadora y teléfono. “Por lo menos no tengo que preocuparme por pagar por el gas ahora”, dijo sonriendo.
Ella dice que le hubiera poder ir a la boda de una amiga reciente o la quinceañera de otra. Pero, dijo ella, “Mi tiempo y mi energía están dedicadas a mi organización y mi hijo”.
“En todo lo que yo hago, siempre estoy luchando por el futuro de Saulito”, ella dijo. “Yo quiero una vida llena de seguridad, para proteger sus derechos y para ser buen modelo en su vida, un ejemplo, luchar y pelear por la justicia, enseñarle que es correcto y justo”.
Saul viajó a México recientemente y se reunió con los legisladores el 14 de noviembre. Ellos pasaron una resolución en que urgían al gobierno de EEUU a suspender la deportación de Arellano y de otros padres cuyos hijos son ciudadanos de los EEUU. La resolución no tiene ningún peso legal, pero los partidarios esperan que contribuya a generar simpatías.
Las palabras de Elvira Arellano fueron traducidas al español del reportaje en inglés.
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