Illegal immigrant invokes sanctuary

CHICAGO — Immigration activists around the country are taking up the cause of a single mother who invoked the ancient principle of sanctuary and took refuge in a Chicago church rather than submit to deportation to Mexico.

Elvira Arellano, 31, was holed up for a second day Wednesday at Aldalberto United Methodist Church with the support of the congregation's pastor. With her was son Saul, 7, a U.S. citizen.

Federal officials said there is no right to sanctuary in a church under U.S. law and nothing to prevent them from arresting her. But they would not say what they planned to do, or when.

"She is the face of the movement," said Emma Lozano, executive director of the Chicago immigration-rights group Centro Sin Fronteras, who was at the church with Arellano.

In Phoenix, Martin Manteca of Mi Familia Vota said Hispanic activist groups were organizing a vigil in her support.

Arellano also has attracted attention from officials, including Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who has voiced his support. And Dolores Huerta, a leader in the effort to organize the nation's farmworkers, plans to go to Chicago to show her support, according to Huerta's daughter, Alicia.

A few dozen supporters gathered at the storefront church, sitting in the pews and praying for Arellano. But the doors were not barricaded, and there were no apparent efforts to fortify the church.

Arellano, president of United Latino Family, which lobbies for families that could be split by deportation, had been ordered to appear at the immigration office in Chicago at 9 a.m. Tuesday, but instead went to the church, where she is a member.

She said that if authorities want her, they will have to come and get her.

"My son is a U.S. citizen," she said. "He doesn't want me to go anywhere, so I'm going to stay with him."

Pastor Walter Coleman said his congregation offered Arellano refuge after praying about her plight. Coleman said he does not think Arellano should have to choose between leaving her son behind or removing him from his home.

"She represents the voice of the undocumented, and we think it's our obligation, our responsibility, to make a stage for that voice to be heard," he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said there is nothing preventing the government from arresting her at the church.

"Ms. Arellano willfully violated U.S. immigration laws and is now facing the consequences of her actions by failing to report to immigration authorities," agency spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said. "We will arrest and deport her as required by law at an appropriate time and place."

Arellano illegally crossed into the United States in 1997 and was deported soon after. She returned within days, living for three years in Oregon before moving to Chicago in 2000. Arrested two years later at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where she was a cleaning woman, she was convicted of working under a false Social Security number and ordered to appear at the immigration office in Chicago.