Monday, August 28, 2006

Should Elvira Arellano be deported?

The Christian Science Monitor had an interesting article about the deportation order for Elvira Arellano -- the illegal Mexican immigrant holed up in her church in Chicago. A single mom, her son was born in America, and hence is an American citizen. Unfortunately, she is not. The issue really is at the heart of the illegal immigration debate on-going throughout the US right now. Should Elvira be deported? What happens to her US citizen son? Should he go with her back to her country of origin or should he stay here?
She is here illegally -- actually she entered the U.S. twice illegally and was once already deported. She is therefore bared from re-entering the US for at least 10 years. Her son, Saul, is 7 years old -- that means he would be 17 years old before he could come back to America with his mother -- although he could come back to the US at any time. His mother could actually win derivative status from her US citizen son -- but only once he turns 18 years old.
So what is right and what is wrong here? Should Elvira be sent back to Mexico, or should she be allowed to stay in the US with her US born son? what do you think?

1 comment:

Elle said...

I agree with Kristy g. It is extremely hard to say that Elvira should be deported, but I think that it is unreasonable, and unfair to all the other immigrants (legal and illegal) to allow this woman to stay. If this was allowed it would set a horrible precedent for other Mexican women. Soon many women would come to the US and have their children here so that they, too could stay. This type of problem is extremely hard to deal with. According the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family..." Elvira and her son should return to the United States, but as a citizen on the US, I think the US has a responsibility to ensure the health of this young boy.
Instead of making a big deal about this instance, the United States should get with it, and begin the laborous process of border controls with Mexico. President Bush was in the middle of negotiations with Vincente Fox when the Worrld Trade Center was hit. The war on terror has put border issues on the back buner and it is now time to readdress these issues.

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