Activists protest deportation of Mexican woman

[struggle4progress]

Source: Xinhua

www.chinaview.cn 2007-08-26 13:36:44

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of immigration activists marched through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to show solidarity with a Mexican woman who was expelled from the United States.

The 32-year-old Elvira Arellano had fought to remain in the United States with her son but was deported earlier this week.

Demonstrators, including families with children, chanted, "We are all Elvira!" and "Legalization now!" in Spanish and English, to show support for Arellano, a single mother who was arrested in Los Angeles last Sunday and quickly shipped off to Mexico. ~snip~

According to the New Sanctuary Movement, some 600,000 families in America face the prospect of being broken apart. ~snip~

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/26/content_6606586.htm

[madeline_con]

1. She was found guilty of fraud, wasn't she? This is not LBN n/t

[struggle4progress]

2. No. "Fraud is .. a 'false misrepresentation ..' which induces another .. to 'part with some valuable

thing ..'" http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/white_collar_crimes/fraud.htm

Thus, fraud involves a victim who is defrauded of a valuable or right. But


... Arellano was ... convicted of working under a false Social Security number ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082001675.html

This only means her Social Security taxes were credited to an real or fictitious account from which she had no prospect of collecting later. So in some sense she was contributing to the US Treasury. Fraud is an inaccurate description of such activity.

[badgervan]

3. She Broke the Law

Period.

[hogwyld]

4. That's mighty compassionate

I don't care if she broke some lame ass law, you shouldn't be breaking families apart.

[Rage for Order]

10. Breaking families apart? She abandoned her son willingly

Nobody told her that she couldn't take her son to Mexico with her. She chose to abandon him. Obviously her child isn't very important to her.

[barb162]

20. She's not very compassionate about her son, leaving him here

versus taking him with her. He's probably a citizen of Mexico too, right? Why didn't she take her son with her?

I'd disagree with you about federal laws being lame ass. She knew darned well she 's been breaking the laws of the US. She had a phony social security card and she broke into this country twice. She's not some saint.

[tidy_bowl]

32. I find your position.....

....just plain wrong. My wife, who is Japanese and I followed the law and paid the required fees and filed the required documents back in 2002 according to US law. Why should we have to obey the laws of this country's immigration but according to you others do not? How is that fair? Explain please. If families are being torn apart it is the fault of those like Elvira Arellano who willingly, knowingly and purposely break the laws and then try to blame the rest of us for THEIR actions. I didn't break the law (on the contrary, I FOLLOWED it) she broke the law and she is responsible. Period.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. Do you understand how immigration law works?

Your wife is given preference over anyone from Central America. So following the law and paying the fees is much simpler for her than for this woman from Mexico.

[tidy_bowl]

40. Of course I .....

...understand HOW IT WORKS. Whether or not my wife had a preference is irrelevant but what is relevant is that we followed the law. I don't make the laws but like her I could choose to follow the law or not. The lady should not have been here in the first place whether you, her or anyone else likes it or not. We as a nation can't possibly take in everyone who wants to come here and people have to deal with that reality. You have no RIGHT to break the law and get away with it simply because you FEEL its wrong.

[amandabeech]

42. If this "woman from Mexico" were to marry a U.S. citizen,

then she would be eligible to join her spouse here, just like the poster's Japanese wife.

It is a marital, not national preference.

[Laughing Mirror]

5. A law that needs to be changed

Of course, you yourself have never ever ever disobeyed the almighty law (would never even think of such a thing, even at tax time, I'm sure).

Yes the impeccable, self-righteous, lawful, God fearing, can do no harm, family friendly United States.

[barb162]

21. What's wrong with taking her son back to family-friendly Mexico?

I have no more right to force my way into Mexico or any other country), violate their laws, etc., than she has to force her way here, as she did twice.

[Laughing Mirror]

25. What's wrong with she and son staying here

The way your family did when they came here to a land that was not theirs, whenever that was.

[Thothmes]

26. Change the Law

I agree. IMO the IV amendment to the Constitution should be change granting citizenship to those that are born of at least one American Citizen.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Peace Patriot]

7. What's the "period" for? To foreclose appeals? Did she have good legal

representation? Did she even have a trial? Would a Saudi royal have been treated the same way? No, I guess not. They don't have to work for a living.

And what of her son? How does "She broke the law. Period." address the matter of compassion, of keeping families together, of amnesty, of understanding the exigencies of being poor, of acknowledging her otherwise exemplary life, of giving a bit of leniency, on the "rule of law," at the bottom of the human dogpile that our society seems to have become, since the rich can always buy their way out of trouble, and write their own laws anyway, and control everything?

Nice irony that she paid Social Security that will support you and me, but will never benefit her. We should be begging her and other hard-working, no benefits workers like her, to stay here and keep paying for our retirement, cuz with Bush borrowing against it, we're gonna need some ready cash.

I don't like this attitude: "She broke the law. Period." The Law is a farce. The Law is destroying Mexico's economy for 90% of its people, to lard riches on U.S global corporate predators and Bushites. The Law sucks. The Law is the means of transferring wealth from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich.

Also, as a person who most likely possesses indigenous blood, she has more right to be here than I do, or most of us do, who fancy ourselves lawful, rightful citizens. She is royalty, in that sense, with a 10,000 year lineage. WE are the illegal immigrants!

She's a human being. Period.

And you're going to dump on her, because she's brown and poor?

What about the Cuban immigrants who are continually coming into this country illegally, and are given welfare, gratis, and an apartment, because they vote Republican and hate Castro?

They're given a free ride. You're paying THEM. You're paying the Bushites to IMPORT Republican votes, but it's all nice and "legal," so you probably don't care. And you want to deport HER--a completely disenfranchised and powerless TAXPAYER, with this horrid, corrupt political establishment coming down on her like ton of bricks.

No, my friend, The Law is not worthy of the respect you give it, and it is NOT a set of rules by which I would judge any human being and her right to be with her son, and her right to make a living--especially a poor person who was forced to migrate to find a job.

The Law is of, by and for the rich. I might think differently if it were a fair playing field. But it is not. My sympathies are with the poor woman against the powerful, the mean, the rich and the racist.

She broke the law. COMMA. Maybe. We don't know all the facts. And there is the mitigating factor that she chose to support her son--and probably others as well--by leaving her homeland, in what was probably was a difficult and dangerous journey, and then working like a slave, for shit wages, but at least working, with no protection of any law, in the underground economy of the poor and the desperate.

You need to read some Charles Dickens. Try "Bleak House." (It's about the grievous injustice that the The Law inflicts on the poor.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. It's a civil offense

She's not a criminal.

[amandabeech]

43. It may be a criminal offense to use a phony Social Security number.

It may also be a criminal offense to re-enter the country illegally after having been deported under a civilian court order.

[RaRa]

8. I will admit that I don't know all the facts, but the ones I do know

do not give me too much sympathy for her. Her big cry was about her son, who was born here. Ok. Well the facts are that she was ordered to leave the U.S. 2 years before she gave birth to him. Seems to me like she was really flipping the bird to our laws. That's a bit different than some of the other stories I've heard (about other illegals). I don't want families broken apart, but she made a choice, and she does have one here - she can take her son with her. The whole SS card angle angers me too. Regardless if she benefits down the road from SS, she purposefully broke the law (2x as I've heard).

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Seems the same to me, too. Looks more like a P.R. ploy than a real

predicament that she found herself in through no fault of her own.

[treestar]

37. You're rather short on mercy, but she is deportable if here illegallly

That I agree about, but I don't see any need for "anger." Who knows but that we would do the same thing?

Our immigration regs hurt our economy. We're going to see the day when we have to migrate. And I hope those countries treat us better than we treat immigrants today.

We leave them "undocumented" in order to have more power over them and so as not to have to pay them minimum wage or comply with working conditions - you know, all that stuff that applies to the royalty known as US citizens.

[Dr. Strange]

12. From the article...

Thousands of Jews received sanctuary from righteous Christians during the Holocaust. Can we do no less than to give people sanctuary?

Is Mexico really that much of a shit-hole? Or is this a wee bit of hyperbole?

[mvd]

13. Families shouldn't be broken apart like this

I am not for open borders, but have a position that allows for amnesty.

If an illegal immigrant has lived here for 5 years or more, that person should be allowed to apply for citizenship. Pass a citizenship test, have no criminal record, and pay an AFFORDABLE fine. Children will go wherever their parents go.

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. She has a criminal record

[mvd]

15. Deportation is needed in many cases, and I support it here

But I think if children are in the care of illegals, they should go with them if the parents desire.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. What about the child's father?

:shrug:

[barb162]

17. Yeah, where is he? Who is he?

I don't recall hearing about him.

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. My point exactly

[mvd]

19. I know

Ideally, the child would have both parents. But sometimes decisions will have to be made based on one parent.

[treestar]

36. Being in the U.S. illegally is not a criminal record

It is not a crime. A person with no status is deportable, period.

Once a person is legal, there are some crimes they could commit after that which would make them deportable even after they are legal.

This lady was apparently deported because she had no status, which is correct under the law. Her citizen child could file for permanent residence for her when he is 21 or older. But she will have had to be out of the U.S. ten years by that time. Which sounds like it will be the case. Unless she marries a US citizen and can prove hardship to the citizen if she is not admitted.

[barb162]

18. How about paying up back state and federal taxes

if those were never paid?

[mvd]

22. I guess it depends

I don't want them to get in debt, but that can be an option.

[barb162]

23. I know some illegal immigrants pay federal and state taxes

but it's fairly rare as I recall. I saw stats on it somewhere a few years ago. The ones interviewed who said they were paying were paying because they figured if they got caught, they'd have a way better chance of staying here. Fine, at least they're paying their way like US citizens. The way I see it is, they benefit from the infrastructure which is paid for by federal and state taxes, so they should be paying their share of it. I'd be very pro keeping the ones here who have been paying their taxes all along!

[RebelOne]

28. How are they paying taxes without a social security card?

That is, unless they are using forged cards, which is also illegal.

[barb162]

31. I have no idea other than I recall one case and that was the husband,

who was a citizen, was paying federal and state taxes on his wife's earnings and she was not legal here but was working here.

[barb162]

24. Phony issue. What prevents Arellano from taking her son with her?

She took him from Washington, where he was born, to Chicago and then to LA, so she didn't seem to have too many problems uprooting this child.
What prevents deportees from taking their kids with them back to their country of origin. It's such a bogus issue.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Glad to hear about this rally

I recently joined our sanctuary movement in my community. Breaking up families is wrong.

[AngryAmish]

33. She is breaking up her family

The kid can live legally in Mexico.

I don't know why you look down on and hate Mexico and Mexicans. it is a perfectly good state and they have not invaded anyone recently.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. NAFTA has destroyed the economy of Mexico

and the rest of Central America and has made it nearly impossible to make a decent living there. Hence, immigration from these countries to American is on the rise. In the meantime, the US changed its immigration laws, making it very difficult (and rare) to come here from Central America legally.

So we essentially forced a trade policy on them that is destroying their economies and at the same time, we are closing the door on immigrants from these countries.

I don't hate Mexico or Mexicans. Where you got that idea is beyond me. I value ALL human life and feel very strongly that we should treat ALL people with respect. NAFTA doesn't do that. Neither does our immigration policy.

I also find it hypocritical to lock the door on immigrants since my own ancestors came here as stowaways on a boat they couldn't afford passage for and they snuck by the immigration authorities when they landed. My other ancestors stole land from the Native Americans. And some of my ancestors owned slaves. I am trying to set a better example for my descendants.

[AngryAmish]

35. Pissing on Mexico gives one an inclination that one dislike Mexico and Mexicans

Mexico is not hell. It is a nation where hundreds of millions of people live.

It is easy for Americans to think that they are the center of the universe. However, the fact remains that there is a world outside of the good ole USA. People live nice lives in countries other than America.

I would suggest to you that a good example to your descendants would be not to despise and fear everyone with brown skin and suggest that they cannot run their own countries by freely agreeing to treaties. If Mexico did not like NAFTA they could withdraw from the treaty. But they don't because they are grown up, see benefits to it and have decided the benefits outweighs the minuses. They don't need you as their mommy.

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. I don't hate Mexico or Mexicans

Didn't I already say that?

I also am not their mommy. I am just a human who believes in treating all people humanely. I work with immigrants. I know and understand why they come here. If they could survive in their native countries, they wouldn't come here.

[amandabeech]

44. Mexico's population grew much faster than any job creation.

As recently as the 1970s, Mexican women had on average 6-7 children, most of whom (thankfully) survived. However, Mexico was not generating enough jobs for that many new workers, in part because the wealthy Mexicans do not invest in their own country and because of a corrupt, unwieldy political system that is only now changing. The U.S. had nothing to do with the population explosion, although I agree that our trade policies have not always been friendly to Mexico. But their idiotic, corrupt politicians signed onto the treaties, too.

Recently, Mexican women's fertility stood at approximately 2.5 children for those living in Mexico. The Mexican government has really pushed reduced family size and with good results. I have read that Mexican women living in the U.S. have 3.5 children on average. We aren't generating enough jobs for them, either.

Mexico deports illegal immigrants. It has police and soldiers on its southern border and it is difficult for Central Americans to work in Mexico. Most of Central America is poorer than Mexico and has had U.S. military intervention in the recent past. Frankly, I think that we should take more Central Americans than Mexicans at this point if we actually need more unskilled labor to compete with U.S. citizens

[stressfulreality]

41. meh, she broke the law. pay the price. enough said. n/t

[Dr. Strange]

45. Actually, she DID pay the price...

the FIRST time she broke the law:

Arellano entered the United States illegally in 1997 and was thrown out almost immediately after crossing the border. She soon got back, and her son was born in Washington state. In 2000, she settled in the Windy City, where she got a job cleaning planes at O'Hare International Airport.

Do you still have to pay the price if you break a law twice?