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NewsSunday, August 26, 2007 9:04 PM CDT
Activists march in support of deported Mexican woman
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LOS ANGELES — Immigrant rights activists marched through downtown Saturday in support of a deported illegal immigrant who spent nearly a year huddled inside a Chicago church to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born son.

Elvira Arellano, 32, was sent back to her native Mexico last weekend after traveling to Los Angeles to attend a rally for the overhaul of U.S. immigration laws.

“It’s an effort by all immigrant rights groups to come together and re-energize the whole movement, in solidarity with Elvira,’’ said college student Marylou Cabral, 20.

Police closed off streets as hundreds of demonstrators, including many families with young children, marched up Broadway carrying large photos of Arellano and her 8-year-old son, Saul. Others waved flags, banged drums or raised placards reading “We are all Elvira!’’

Organizers said more than 2,000 people demonstrated, but authorities said it was closer to 600.

At the end of the march, a stage was set up and dozens of speakers called for a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.

Arellano became an activist and a symbol for illegal immigrant parents by defying her deportation order and speaking out from her sanctuary in Chicago’s Adalberto United Methodist Church, where she had stayed with her son since Aug. 15, 2006.

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Reader comments on this story - 9 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

I don't get it!! wrote on Aug 28, 2007 9:20 AM:

" I am a permanent resident and went through the proper ,legal channels to call myself such. I have no sympathy for these people who come here illegally and have the NERVE to demonstrate in the streets brandishing their country's flag and clamoring for rights that they do not deserve . "

dave wrote on Aug 27, 2007 7:55 AM:

" poor mexican come to usa you call them illegal alien but when usa take all the state for mexico did not have visa so what we call them "

Candy wrote on Aug 27, 2007 12:29 AM:

" Why is there never a march for the rights of all U.S. citizens. Why is there always a hurry for a march for those doing wrong? "

BILLY BOB wrote on Aug 26, 2007 2:58 PM:

" When a person enters the US sneaking across the border. Its called illegal entry. Not Illegal Immigration. To Immigrate means to legally go through the process of migrating to another country. 12 million illegal aliens are currently in the US. Thats approximately 250,000 illegal aliens per state (Lower 48). More illegal aliens than people living in Bloomington and Normal combined. At 60 per bus load it would take 4167 buses to deport the illegal aliens from Illinois. At approximately 1,400 miles to the Texas/Mexico border and at 10 miles to the gallon it would take 583,380 gallons of fuel. At 3 dollars a gallon it would cost 1,750,140 dollars to deport the illegals. If the federal government were to deport all 12 million it would cost well over 850 million dollars. Its an impossible task....thats why they are not rounded up and deported. "

Here's an idea... wrote on Aug 26, 2007 9:13 AM:

" why don't all of these supporters march themselves back to Mexico(as I'm sure most of them are illegal anyway!) "

Elvira wrote on Aug 26, 2007 8:59 AM:

" If they are all Elvira, then they should all be sent back to Mexico. "

To top it off wrote on Aug 26, 2007 6:32 AM:

" She had a 8 year old. Funny how her crime goes back to 1997. Mat means she had him for an anchor baby to try to stay in this country. Deport them all! Let them march in Mexico. "

JD wrote on Aug 25, 2007 11:47 PM:

" I do not believe that an illegal alien is considered an immigrant. Had she been an immigrant, she would not have been deported for being here illegally. Not to mention that she was deported for identity theft, an offense that would land an American in prison. So if anything, she should count her blessings that deportation was all she got. "

Hey wrote on Aug 25, 2007 11:01 PM:

" I'm doin' illegal stuff right now. What do you suppose would happen to me, a U.S. citizen, if I got caught? There you have it. If you want to dance you've got to pay the fiddler. "

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