She's gone, do you want rest gone too? - Little difference between Arellano, other 12 million illegal immigrants

She's gone, do you want rest gone too? - Little difference between Arellano, other 12 million illegal immigrants
BY MARK BROWN
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
August 21, 2007

In the end, Elvira Arellano asked for it. I'll grant you that. By making a run for Los Angeles, Arellano left federal immigration officials little choice but to grab her and deport her to Mexico -- bringing an end to her yearlong act of defiance since taking sanctuary in a Division Street church.

What puzzles me is all the people who seem to be cheering this outcome. I'm not.

If you're of the opinion that Arellano deserved to be sent back to Mexico, then it logically follows that you want all 12 million illegals to return there with her.

Do you?

I realize that's precisely what a certain segment of the population does want, but it seems there are people who would normally be more open-minded in their attitudes who are drawing some distinction between Arellano and the rest of the illegal immigrant population.

Maybe they don't understand: There's no real difference. Elvira Arellano's situation is very typical.

She tried to sneak into the country. She got caught. She tried again and made it. She obtained fake IDs to get a job. She made a life here. She had a child. All this puts her in the mainstream of the illegal immigrant community.

It's only then that her story diverges somewhat from the rest, mainly because Arellano's job was doing janitorial work at O'Hare Airport. In the post-9/11 wave of security consciousness, she was swept up in a raid ostensibly aimed at making the airport safe from terrorists. When officials discovered that Arellano was using somebody else's Social Security number, she was criminally prosecuted.

Fake IDs a problem, face crack down
OK, we can't have workers taking other people's Social Security numbers, potentially messing up their lives.

But how do you think the other 12 million are supporting themselves?

If they are working in any industry where they are required to provide documentation, then they are using a false Social Security number, just like Arellano. That's probably most of them, only they haven't been so unfortunate as to be criminally prosecuted. The rest are probably working for cash, and how is that better?

Are these immigrants taking false Social Security numbers in an effort to steal somebody else's identity, use their credit? No, they're trying to work and support themselves. In most cases, they've probably used their own name, address and date of birth.

If they're lucky or smart or obtained their fake ID from somebody who is smart, then they are using a Social Security number that hasn't yet been assigned to another individual or belonged to someone who has died. That way they don't expose themselves to identity theft charges.

If we were to give them a legal means to work, most would take advantage of it. But we can't agree politically on how to do that.

Knowing all this, employers have been hiring illegal immigrants anyway. If you look around you, it would appear there is a demand for their services.

But I guess we're about to find out. The federal government is in the process of cracking down on fake Social Security numbers, and by late next month, a whole lot of illegal immigrants are going to be out of work, the consequence of which is unknown.

Took guts to stay and fight
The other distinguishing aspect to Arellano's story is that when she was ordered to leave, she didn't quietly comply, nor did she slip off into the masses and relocate someplace else in the U.S. She chose to stay and fight it out publicly, making herself the human face of this bitter dispute. That took guts.

As a nation, however, we seem to like it better when Mexicans stay out of sight.

I believe a lot of people don't like Arellano simply because they find her "uppity."

Yes, I use the word advisedly, aware of its historical connotations. (And no, Arellano never should have compared herself to Rosa Parks. It was presumptuous.)

Then there are those who are irritated because Arellano has put her 8-year-old son out front in the controversy. I didn't care for that much either.

But I can understand why she did it. People need to see there are families involved in these situations, young children included.

Because he was born here, Arellano's son is a U.S. citizen. He's entitled to stay here. If we say he can stay but his mother has to go back to Mexico, what kind of a choice is that for a young boy?

The anti-immigration crowd says one down, 12 million to go.

I hope the rest of you think it through.