HOUSTON CHRONICLE November 15, 2006
Chicago boy's quest takes him to Mexican Congress Son, 7, becomes vocal ally in mom's deportation fight
MEXICO CITY — At 7, Saul Arellano may be the United States' youngest immigration activist. He's certainly one of the most dogged. He has banged on the gates of the White House. He has lobbied politicians in Europe. And on Tuesday, the second-grader, a U.S. citizen, made the rounds in Mexico in his quest to save his mother from deportation. Mexico's 500-member Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved a resolution calling on President Bush and the U.S. Congress to pardon Elvira Arellano, Saul's mother and an illegal immigrant. She has been holed up in a Chicago church since Aug. 15 trying to stave off deportation back to Mexico. Since then, her son has become a poster child for those who want to loosen U.S. immigration laws, legalizing illegal immigrants who are parents to anywhere from 3 million to 5 million American children. Trembling inside his oversized khaki suit, Saul told reporters his purpose in petitioning the Mexican Congress: "I want them to tell President Bush to end the deportations so that my mother and other families can stay together in the United States." The resolution also calls on the U.S. Congress to declare a moratorium on what it describes as the "mass deportations" of illegal migrants. A similar petition is expected to pass in the Mexican Senate. The measures are aimed at aiding millions of children whose parents "are at risk of being deported or who have already been deported," said Jose Jacques, the bill's sponsor and one of several Mexican legislators who are U.S. residents. Applauded in Mexico Earlier Tuesday, legislators led Saul around the floor of Congress, where he was met with loud applause and followed by TV cameras. At one point, he hid inside his suit jacket. "Please give the boy some space," pleaded Emma Lozano, a Chicago-based immigration activist who accompanied Saul to Mexico. "He's just a kid." Later, during a press conference, Saul looked more relaxed, snapping photos to bring home to his mom. His mother's plight is familiar to many Mexican lawmakers. "I'm also a migrant and a mother and I can relate to Elvira Arellano," said Maria Dolores Gonzalez, a Mexican congresswoman who has lived in Laredo for the past 16 years. "She's not a criminal because she hasn't killed or robbed anyone," she said, fighting back tears as she related her own experience having children in Texas while still an illegal immigrant. "All she did was look for a better destiny for her child, like any mother." Edmundo Ramirez, another legislator who worked without documents in Houston in the 1990s, estimates there are 800,000 children in Texas who risk being separated from one or both parents. "They're everywhere," said Ramirez, whose son was born in Houston. "And they're all at risk." Mayra Figueroa, an immigration activist in Houston, agreed. "Of every 20 immigrant homes in Texas, 15 are suffering from this problem," she said. She added that the threat of deportation had increased under a new policy in Houston requiring police to check motorists' immigration documents, as well as licenses. "The whole community is incredibly worried," said Figueroa, who emigrated from El Salvador in 1992. "The situation has gotten very difficult, not just in Chicago and Texas, but in all states where migrant communities exist."
Children put at risk Immigration enforcement activists say parents who enter the U.S. illegally are to blame for putting children at risk. Illegal immigrants with relatives who are U.S. citizens or legal residents are often able to delay deportation on humanitarian grounds. Arellano lost that chance after she was caught using a fake Social Security number in 2002 while working as a janitor at Chicago's O'Hare airport. She was given 3 years' probation and ordered to appear in immigration court. Instead, she took refuge with her son inside the Adalberto United Methodist Church. From there, she wrote a letter to Mexican President Vicente Fox. She said Fox did not respond. After three months of refusing to appear before immigration officials, Arellano's case moves to the courts today. If detained, Arellano could wind up in prison for several years. Losing his mother is a possibility her son has learned to live with. "Saul knows that if security forces enter the church, they could take her away," said Lozano, the activist and director of the Chicago-based Center Without Borders. "But this won't happen, because Elvira Arellano not only has the support of the church and her community, but of millions of people."
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