Church shelters immigrant; feds vow to arrest her

Church shelters immigrant; feds vow to arrest her
BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA AND KENDRICK MARSHALL Staff Reporters
August 16, 2006
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times



Immigration activist Elvira Arellano sought refuge Tuesday in a small storefront church, just blocks from her apartment, hoping that the sanctity of a holy place would shield her from deportation.

Arellano, a 31-year-old illegal immigrant, was supposed to report to immigration authorities Tuesday morning but instead went to her pastor, the Rev. Walter "Slim" Coleman, a longtime social activist and minister at Adalberto United Methodist Church, 2176 W. Division.

"I knew my church wouldn't abandon me in my moment of desperation," Arellano said in Spanish.

Flanked by Coleman, formerly a driving force behind the Heart of Uptown Coalition that fought to empower poor people in the North Side neighborhood, and Emma Lozano, director of Centro Sin Fronteras (Center Without Borders), who staged a five-day hunger strike to bring a new school to the Little Village neighborhood, Arellano told 30 assembled supporters she had no fear.

"I'm strong, I've learned from Rosa Parks -- I'm not going to go to the back of the bus. The law is wrong."

By Tuesday evening, Arellano faced a long night of looking over her shoulder every time the bell jingled as the church's front door opened. She planned to tuck her 7-year-old son, Saul, into the twin bed of the tiny room above the church the two will share until the standoff is resolved.

"We'll stay here as long as necessary, until Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Dick Durbin introduce my private bill and approve my extension," Arellano said. She spent much of her day asking supporters to flood the senators' offices with demands for an intervention.

Both senators' staffs, however, said the only real solution to Arellano's problem is comprehensive immigration reform. "Frankly there are so many other people in a similar situation and we just cannot offer a private release bill to everyone," said Durbin spokeswoman Christina Angarola.

Arellano, feeling depleted from the stress and a cold, lamented that if she had to go back to Mexico she'd take her son with her, but that she was certain it wouldn't come to that.

"This village is raising its voice and making itself heard," said Arellano. "Our people are not the same as they were before -- we put [legislators] in office and the registered voters of this community can take them out."

'They'll have to face God'

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Tim Counts said the government considers Arellano a fugitive who will be arrested in the future regardless of her location.

"We've been working with her attorney and immigration to make this as smooth as possible, but Mrs. Arellano has taken another path," Counts said. "We have the authority to arrest anyone in violation of U.S. law anywhere in the United States."

Meanwhile, Arellano reported a steady stream of supporters bringing food and offers of clothing and supplies for her and her son during their stay.

And she waits. "If they come for me in this place they'll have to face God. We have video cameras and we'll show how the federals violate the house of God."

ecepeda@suntimes.com

kmarshall@suntimes.com