Chicago Church Offers Sanctuary to 2nd Illegal Immigrant
| AR Articles on Immigration |
|---|
| Fade to Brown (May 2003) |
| Waging War on America (Jun. 1998) |
| Halting the Flow (Aug. 1995) |
| Search AmRen.com for Immigration |
| More news stories on Immigration |
The tiny storefront church that sheltered Elvira Arellano in yearlong defiance of a federal deportation order is poised to give sanctuary to another undocumented immigrant facing deportation, church leaders said Sunday.
Flor Crisostomo, 28, said she is slated to surrender to federal immigration authorities Monday, an order that followed her 2006 arrest during a nationwide raid of the IFCO Systems pallet company that netted 26 illegal immigrant workers in Chicago.
On Sunday, the factory worker turned community activist retreated to pray and consider her options at Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. She intends to formally announce her decision Monday, but Crisostomo and church leaders said she plans to follow Arellano’s lead and seek sanctuary within church grounds.
“It is very difficult to make this decision. Whatever it is, it will be worthwhile… . It’s not just to benefit me, it’s to benefit the community,” Crisostomo said in an interview inside the church.
The move raises the possibility of a second standoff with federal authorities that supporters hope will revive talk of federal immigration reforms. With the defeat of a comprehensive reform bill last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped up enforcement and raids. Immigration also emerged as a flash point in the presidential campaign.
{snip}
Meanwhile, proponents of stricter enforcement of the nation’s laws said Crisostomo’s sanctuary may embolden activists on both sides of the heated debate, as did Arellano’s.
“It’s old hat. To me, it’s just another situation where she can make demands but nothing is going to happen in terms of legislation,” said Dave Gorak, executive director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration.
Crisostomo stepped into the public light shortly after her arrest nearly two years ago. With her legal case pending, Crisostomo had no benefit in hiding and no risk of deportation until the legal process unfolded. She helped organize marches, fasted with Arellano on hunger strikes and offered her own experience as an example of the need for changes to the nation’s immigration laws.
The mother of three left Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states, after a family grocery stand faltered and money for milk and food ran short. She traveled across the Arizona border twice before successfully entering the country. She arrived in Chicago in 2001.
Armed with a fake ID, Crisostomo found work loading pallets at IFCO. She said she saved enough money to send $300 weekly back to her two sons and daughter, who live with her mother. Crisostomo is unmarried.
{snip}
(Posted on January 30, 2008)
Immigrant Taking Refuge in Church Will Be Arrested, Feds Say
WBBM 780 (Chicago), January 28, 2008
A 28-year-old illegal immigrant who has taken refuge in the same Humboldt Park church where Elvira Arellano sought sanctuary from the law for a year will be considered an immigration fugitive if she does not leave the country Monday night will be subject to arrest, federal authorities say.
In defiance of a deportation order, Flor Crisostomo began her “sanctuary” today, confining herself indefinitely inside Adalberto United Methodist Church at 2716 W. Division. She will stay in the church’s second-floor living quarters. She was due to surrender to federal authorities Monday.
{snip}
Crisostomo, who is unmarried, thinks she is doing the best thing for her three children, who live in Mexico with her mother, according to friend and church council president Emma Lozano.
“She would not be able to support them in Mexico. When she left, her kids were very skinny children with nothing. Then she started sending money back to them. Now they have food, clothes, books,” Lozano said.
Crisostomo, who has been an immigration activist for more than two years, may soon be joined by other illegal immigrants contemplating taking sanctuary at the church, Lozano said.
“If Ms. Crisóstomo does not comply with the immigration judge’s order by tonight, she will become an immigration fugitive,” U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said.
“ICE officers have a sworn duty to enforce the nation’s immigration laws and the authority to arrest those who violate the laws,” Montenegro said. “ICE prioritizes enforcement actions based on implications to national security and public safety. Ms. Crisóstomo will be taken into custody at an appropriate time and place with consideration given to the safety of all involved.”
Comments
It’s beyond that time when we should tax The Catholic church as a business.
It is in the business of ethnic cleansing. Its new baby is the Latino peasant. It will wipe Caucasians off the map the first chance it gets.
Posted by Len at 4:17 PM on January 30
If the church has “any” loyalty to the U.S. remaining, it should “show her the door”, so to speak.
Posted by Obscuratus at 4:24 PM on January 30
The Marxists must have been searching for a more committed Elvira Arellano. Elvira seems to have folded under the pressure. You can’t start a movement if your chosen heroine wimps out.
Will Flor Crisostomo be the chosen Rosa Parks of the migrant labor movement? Only time, and lots of Marxist rhetoric and propaganda, will tell.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 4:46 PM on January 30
Shut down the church. These bleeding hearts do nothing but ill to the community at large and to god.
And this is coming from a Christian.
Posted by Stuck in No Mans Land at 4:50 PM on January 30
To all the AMREN readers who always complain about the Catholic Church’s support of immigrants what do you have to say about the Methodists?
Posted by Dennis at 5:01 PM on January 30
I have pondered what the response would be by authorities. I have a feeling that on this one, they`ll be knocking on the door with in ten days. They showed “mercy and retraint” on the first one. But the feds are going to act a lot quicker and in a more systematic fashion on this one.
Posted by Tim Mc Hugh at 5:04 PM on January 30
Calling ICE. Come on, these people are literally playing with the laws of this nation. Who do they think they are, part of the Bush Administration or the Democratic Elite?
Posted by Bobby at 5:04 PM on January 30
“If Ms. Crisóstomo does not comply with the immigration judge’s order by tonight, she will become an immigration fugitive,”
_________
I’ll bet she’s terrified! What a joke.
Posted by at 5:17 PM on January 30
I wish the American government would do it’s job and enforce the laws and quit the ‘passing out checks’ game. Pathetic.
Posted by stringtheory at 5:42 PM on January 30
These wacko churches amaze me. They can offer assistance with food, money, legal advice, etc. but violating the law is not an option. This is nothing but grandstanding by a bunch of Oskar Schindler wannabees. Why wasn’t this so called pastor arrested for harboring Arellano?
Posted by at 6:25 PM on January 30
“Factory worker turned community activist?” I think not. These people are activists first and workers second. In the case of Elvira Arellano it was activist first and mother second. Anyone who has any illusions about what these people stand for should read the Pueblos Sin Fronteras manifesto; you will find that their clearly stated goal is the cultural overthrow of the USA through Mexican Socialism. Look it up.
Posted by David K at 6:43 PM on January 30
The minister should be arrested for harboring a fugitive from justice. When will the ICE arrest this illegal. This is not the 1850s and these illegal aliens are not fugitive slaves though the neo-socialists would like everyone to think of these illegals as such.
Posted by the Soviet Republic of New Jersey at 6:44 PM on January 30
It is really amazing how these illegal aliens are able to send so much money back to their families in Mexico. This woman says she was able to send $300 a week back to her two sons and a daughter who live with her mother. I’ll bet money that she found it very easy to get on welfare while she is here in Chicago and to avail herself of other taxpayer goodies like subsidized rent such as Section 8 vouchers and food stamps while still pocketing her paycheck. The affirmative action hires that work for the City, County and State of Illinois are no doubt her kinfolk as they will only hire Hispanics or Blacks in their quota systems. That’s why it’s so easy for them as a group to send back to Mexico an aggregate sum of between $20-$40 million dollars.
Posted by at 6:48 PM on January 30
The problem with institutionalized churches these days is that they have become corrupted by political correctness and capitalism. They care more about putting bums on seats and pleasing women and gays rather than following the scriptures. There is a crisis in these Churches because men, straight men do not want to part of them.
The Christian religion as practiced hundreds of years ago roughly followed principals that advanced evolution.
Now we are going backwards.
Posted by Azakax at 7:19 PM on January 30
Churches should NOT be sanctuaries of any kind, nor should mosquyes be hidouts for Muslim extremists. The sooner people learn that the better. There should be NO PLACE that police or agents cannot go to get people WHO HAVE BROKEN THE LAW IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. Arrest the illegal and the people who have sheltered her….Time to get tough!!!!
Posted by lydia at 8:32 PM on January 30
If this were a Catholic Church, the hail of anti-papism would fall assuredly on this news story.
Nonetheless, the government has every right to enter that church and arrest her. There is no law that says that churches may be grounds of sanctuary.
Posted by John R. Kennedy at 8:35 PM on January 30
Here in Wisconsin we are victim to an entire group of phony “pentecostal” mexican churches that act as an underground railroad of sorts to bring hundreds of illegal mexican criminals into the U.S. every year. They are part of a larger network of fake churches throughout five midwestern states(including Illinois). This network is protected because they are sanctioned by a legitimate denomination out of Oklahoma and as a result it is almost impossible to get law enforcement to do anything about them.
Posted by at 10:31 PM on January 30
In my city there is a church bus that goes by. On its side is the word “JOY.” It stands for “Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last.”
This is closely akin to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Isn’t this the root of the problem, the very germ of the evil we are confronting?
Why should I love my neighbor and put him before me?
To love him leads to the presupposition that I must care for him, that I know what is best for him, that I am somehow going to make sure that he is safe and secure.
Is this not the very root of liberalism?
How about this: Love God, love yourself, respect your neighbor.
If you respect him, you will respect his ability to provide for himself and his family, you will respect his manhood, you will respect his talents. All this without the obligation to provide for him, make him comfortable, and satisy his needs. He succeeds or fails on his own merits.
Posted by Forlorn Artist at 10:42 PM on January 30
She’s BAAAAAAAACK! I knew that we hadn’t heard the end of Elvira! Now we’re witnessing Elvira 2… This blatant act of defiance to the rule of law is a direct slap in the face to every single law-abiding citizen in this country!
Not only should DHS swiftly arrest and deport this illegal alien fugitive, but they should also arrest and charge her partners in crime for continually aiding and abetting illegal alien fugitives. Furthermore, this church should lose its tax-exempt status or better yet, be shut down!
We are a nation of laws, and our laws must be enforced fairly and consistently and respected by all. Those who respect our laws are in good standing. Those who do not respect our laws are criminals and must be dealt with accordingly… This is what a civilized nation is all about!
This is America, NOT Mexico; and I am sick and tired of these illegal alien invaders crying the blues and demanding rights that they have no right to demand! First, it’s the “race” card. Then it’s the “baby” card. Then it’s the “We are all human beings” card. Then it’s the “It’s unconstitutional” card. Then it’s the “threat of violence” card. None of it seemed to work, so now we’re back to the “race” card…
Give me a break! We the People have all of the statistics, common sense and the rule of law on our side; not to mention OUR country! These millions upon millions of illegal alien invaders have NO rights in this country and NO right to even be in this country, so cries of “racism” and “bigotry” run rampant. Well, it’s getting old; and it’s more than time for ALL illegal alien invaders to do the right thing and GO HOME!
Meanwhile, this woman, Flor, has three children ages 14, 11 and 9… If Flor is 28 years of age, then she literally became a mother at the ripe old age of 14… More family values, I presume?
Again, our laws are not negotiable! ALL illegal alien invaders need to GO HOME!
Posted by Jackers at 11:06 PM on January 30
What about baptist church ? What about mormon church ? What about luthern church ? what about some christian churches ?
Posted by james at 2:27 AM on January 31
This country is bankrupt, the “bubble” is about to burst.
Posted by Fed up at 2:56 AM on January 31
I am in kurdistan_Iraq
Posted by berhem sleiman salh at 3:32 AM on January 31
““It is very difficult to make this decision. Whatever it is, it will be worthwhile… . It’s not just to benefit me, it’s to benefit the community,” Crisostomo said in an interview inside the church.”
Notice how all the PC media no longer say the magic words, “translated from the original tongue”.
Who does translate this stuff? Do you really trust “their” interpretation?
Posted by Cousin Charlie from TN at 5:43 AM on January 31
“How about this: Love God, love yourself, respect your neighbor…If you respect him, you will respect his ability to provide for himself and his family… He succeeds or fails on his own merits.”
I’ve been thinking about something like this myself. The reason is, it seems almost impossible for someone to work somewhere for longer than 6 months without becoming completely disillusioned. Looking out for themselves, but in a somewhat nasty kind of way, and disregarding the task itself as their major concern. If people approached their job with a more selfish attitude in the first place… who knows?
Also, it would seem like a better deal if we would provide a minimum safety net of benefits for each and every citizen.
By the way, in my opinion, the things you described earlier are closer to being the very root of conservatism.
Posted by LHathaway at 9:33 AM on January 31
Is this another “activist”, that leads by example, and can’t even speak the English language?
Posted by Kellie at 11:00 AM on January 31
Deport her? Si se puede!
Posted by at 11:17 AM on January 31
Does anyone really think the Feds will invade the church to arrest this woman or the minister? Both should be arrested and jailed.
Posted by FRANK at 12:07 PM on January 31
Separation of church and state does not mean that churches can defy government laws. (Hugo Black, a U.S. Supreme Court judge in the ‘50’s took some of Jefferson’s writings out of context to come up with Separation of Church and State.) Separation of chuch/state, civil rights, etc. have warped the idea of ‘equality’ that our government has.
Don’t let Crisostomo have the upper hand with her intention of ‘formally making a decision’. If Adelberto United Methodist Church is joined together for themselves, what a shame.
Posted by GAonMYmind at 4:04 PM on January 31
“It’s beyond that time when we should tax The Catholic church as a business.”
I always find it somewhat amusing that some people (read: protestants and other non-Catholics) take any chance to bash the Catholic Church. This is a protestant church.
And to the people who say that (protestant) churches should not be sanctuaries, I agree completely.
Leave the Catholic Church out of this one.
Posted by MilitantCatholic at 4:04 PM on January 31
Get her, her spawn, and her ilk out of my once great (and will be again) country. I love America, and I love the American values our parents and grandparents brought with them when they came here: It wasn’t a mouth full of gimme, like these predator aliens.
These people want us extinct, and they want our stuff. (Ask—what happens when the geese who lay the golden eggs are all gone…?) I’m not willing to go peacefully, and I think circumstances will underscore that point.
Posted by at 6:19 AM on February 1
Our language has been bastardized already. I can remember when if you were GAY you were just happy, not in love with the neighbor of the same sex. So why don’t we use the word CHURCH in it’s truest context meaning a type of business, such as a Corporation, LLC, etc?
Posted by RBB at 4:17 PM on February 1
Mexicans will never be part of America because of their race. They’re not white nor black. They don’t fit in. We don’t need another minority race to give us headaches. Also, most legal mexicans support the invasion. Blood is thicker than any country, in their eyes. They will always be percieved as invaders.
Posted by sandstorm at 11:14 AM on February 3
Since liberals are so good at using the media for their public relations campaigns, wouldn’t it be amusing to turn the tables on them?
The Feds are reluctant to enter this church, correct? But surely the church would not turn back ordinary citizens. Imagine if some patriotic Americans called the media and told them to meet in front of the church at a certain time. Then they call ICE and tell them to show up, making them aware that the media has been invited also. At this certain time, the American patriots enter this church, spread out, and go door-to-door until they find this lady. They then remove her from her “santuary” and hand her over to authorities. Call it a “citizen’s arrest”. In this scenario, it would be a public relations disaster of biblical proportions for the Feds to even attempt to prosecute the patriots. And due to the egg on the face of the Feds, maybe in the future they will be a little quicker in handling these matters themselves, rather than relying on ordinary citizens to do the job they are sworn to do. Just a thought.
Posted by Cop at 8:15 PM on February 3
I have only one question. Why is this so-called church still standing?
Posted by at 1:22 PM on February 6
Communist indoctrinators have been hard at work for decades in Mexico, especially in predominantly Indian populated Southern Mexico. The old communist credo of “what’s mine is mine, what’s yours is negotiable” is their rallying cry as these Aztecs invade America literally by the millions every year. Call me old fashioned, but I really don’t intend to let these people simply walk right in and take my country away from me and I will do whatever is required to prevent that from happening. Are you?
Posted by at 2:58 PM on February 6