Immigrant Activist Deported

An illegal immigrant  who held a vigil of sorts in a Chicago church for almost a year to publicize the plight of  of divided families has been deported back to Mexico. Elvira Arellano, who left the sanctuary of the church last week to push for immigration reform, had just spoken at a Los Angeles rally yesterday when authorities seized her.

The activist fought deportation to avoid separation from her US-born son. Calling her activism a victory, Arellano’s pastor, who is now caring for her 8-year-old, said she was “in good spirits” and would “continue the struggle against the separation of families.” Deported in 1997, Arellano returned in 2000 and was arrested again in Chicago two years later. (More Elvira Arellano stories.)