Elvira Areliano
MexicoBiography of Elvira Arellano
Elvira Arellano (born in 1975) is an illegal immigrant of Mexican origin who gained prominence in North American and Latin American media through an extensive campaign against the deportation of illegal immigrants, which resulted in the separation of parents from their mostly underage children who were born in the United States and therefore have legal status. Elvira was deported once in 1997 but returned to the United States, where she gave birth to her son Saul, who was born out of wedlock. After the police once again targeted her, Elvira sought refuge in a church in Chicago. Despite her secluded lifestyle, Elvira attracted attention from the media, particularly Spanish-speaking media, and willingly gave interviews. Over time, she gained mass popular support from the Latin American community, which allowed her to leave the confines of the church. However, on August 20, 2007, Elvira was arrested during a protest in Los Angeles, where she had traveled to conduct her campaign, and subsequently deported to Mexico. In the Spanish-speaking media, Elvira earned the nickname "Latin American Rosa Parks."
Early Life and Immigration
Elvira was born in the town of San Miguel Curahuango, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. She illegally immigrated to the United States in 1997 and was soon deported from Washington. She returned to the country illegally (likely with the help of so-called coyotes) just a few days after her stay in Mexico and lived in Oregon for three years, where she gave birth to her illegitimate son in 1999. In 2000, Elvira moved to Chicago, where she worked as an aircraft cleaner at an international airport using fake documents. In 2002, following the events of September 11, she was exposed during document checks and spent three years on probation until immigration authorities ordered her to appear for a status determination on August 15, 2006. Instead of appearing in court, where she faced imminent deportation, Elvira sought refuge in a Methodist church in Chicago.
Activism and Deportation
Since then, until her second deportation in August 2007, Elvira focused on the issues of illegal immigrants and became the leader of the organization La Familia Latina Unida (United Latin Family), which advocated for the rights of illegal immigrant parents to stay with their legal underage children in the United States. Elvira appeared on Spanish-language television channels such as Univision, Telemundo, and Televisa. However, she also faced considerable opposition, mainly from white Americans who accused her of using her son as a shield to avoid deportation. Elvira countered these accusations by claiming that such actions were rooted in racism by the white population, which controlled power in the country. However, many African Americans also held negative views towards Elvira, as they passionately identified with the image of the defiant African American woman Rosa Parks and could not accept the idea that Mexicans, rather than African Americans, were now the largest minority in the country.
Current Situation
Elvira, who has been deported, is currently staying with friends in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico. The U.S. government has stated that nothing prevents her son Saul from coming to Mexico to be with her or even staying there permanently if she desires to keep her family together.
