NYT/AP: New Mexico Governor Richardson Pleads Illegal Immigrant Mother's Case

[DeepModem Mom]

N.M. Gov Pleads Illegal Immigrant's Case
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 17, 2006

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Richardson has asked President Bush to come to the aid of an illegal immigrant who has taken refuge in a Chicago church to avoid being deported to Mexico.

Richardson has followed Elvira Arellano's case in news reports and considers her family's plight a ''perfect example'' of why immigration reform is necessary, his spokesman Jon Goldstein said.

Arellano, a former cleaning woman at O'Hare International Airport convicted of using a false Social Security number, has been in the church since August. Her 7-year-old, U.S.-born son, Saul, this week traveled to Mexico and successfully lobbied its Chamber of Deputies to call for the U.S. Congress to suspend the deportation of illegal immigrant parents of U.S. citizens.

''The Arellano case puts a spotlight on the danger of not acting on a comprehensive immigration plan,'' Richardson wrote Wednesday in a letter to Bush that was released by the governor's office Thursday. ''Inaction puts our most vulnerable citizens -- the estimated three million American citizen children of illegal immigrants -- at risk.''

The governor, whose mother is from Mexico, said that deporting Arellano will create a ''terrible choice'' for the family -- forcing the boy to leave his mother if he stays in the U.S. or ''forfeit his right to grow up an American.''...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Richardson-Immigration.html

[joemurphy]

1. This kind of thing happens all the time under our immigration

laws. Wives are separated from husbands; children from parents. It's a terrible human tragedy that, in my opinion, is never adequately addressed by the "well, they broke the law, they deserve what they get, deport them all" crowd -- the Lou Dobbses and Tom Tancredos of the world.

[Roy]

2. It's the boys fault for not being Cuban......

:sarcasm:

[MS Liberal]

3. She needs to go home.

Gov Richardson's mom case was different time. I am glad he is an American and was raised here. This case is different. She is not a citizen and has been caught using a false social security number. She should be in jail or deported. American women who are sent to jail or prison are forced to leave their children behind as they serve their sentence. She should count her blessings and get on the bus for Mexico and take her son with her. He should be with his mother. Mexico is a democracy not hell. Many American children are raised in other countries and turn out just fine.

[phusion]

4. lol...n/t

:popcorn:

[Xipe Totec]

6. Nah, what's the point

that post was not worthy of a reasoned reply.

yours is about the best response.

:popcorn:

[judaspriestess]

5. The pressure should be applied to the disgusting

corrupt government of Mexico to reform itself. Fat chance I know.