Good Morning Soledad,
I have no problem with immigrants. All of the hispanic workers I know are super talented. They have skills that are amazing.
The problem I have is the fact they don't pay taxes. We can't keep running this country with no money. Employers are just as much to blame as anyone.
I believe that this United States is a much better home and living for these people than their "home" country.
If these illegals want to enjoy the fruits of our nation then they must do their part to support it.
And another thing, once they become legal citizens of this great nation, I don't want to hear statements like," back in MY contry". . If you want to come to the U.S. and become a citizen then this IS your country! Be proud! Let's all work together to bring OUR country up!

" Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what YOU can do for your country." John F. Kennedy~

Soledad,
Nice to hear from you again. I miss you on the morning show!

This is a very complex issue indeed! On one hand we don't want to break up a family or send one of our citizens back to live in extreme poverty. But on the other hand we don't need illegal aliens coming over here and having kids just so they can stay here. There has to be a line somewhere in the middle to appease both sides! What that is I couldn't tell you...but I hope it's figured out soon!

Yeah Soledad, great to see you're still there and reporting!

Why can't the son sponsor his mother's application for citizenship? Why do people make everything so dramatic and difficult? Also, why is her 8 year old traveling the country and lobbying for her to stay, shouldn't he be in school? That's a lot of pressure for an 8 year old to bear. Give the kid a break!

In the context of the human experience and in the interest of treating other people with dignity and respect this seems to be a pretty simple case. There is no reason under the sun why a child should be seperated from his/her mother unless the child is in some kind of danger. The fact that this mother is working hard, paying taxes, and doing everything she can for her child makes the solution to this problem even more obvious. The fact that she is doing all of that is more than we can say about some of our very own American mothers. I just think we need to stop thinking of "illegals" in terms of money, and start thinking about him in terms of what they really are...PEOPLE! These are living, breathing people were thoughts, feelings, and dreams. We are America, and we are greatest power in the world right now. Why shouldn't we do what we can to help our neighbors make their lives better? I mean if they are willing to work for it and pay taxes to OUR government...what's the big deal?

I haven't heard any mention of the father of Arellano's son. Where is he? Ms. Arellano has obviously accomplshed what she set out to do: Sneak across our border, get knocked up and drop an anchor baby. Of course she should be deported, and being the loving mother that she is, I'm sure she will want to keep her son with her.

If these illegal aliens want to march, why don't they march in Mexico to change the policies there?

This is the perfect example why, even if it requires a constitutional ammendment, the "anchor baby" law should be abolished.

Of course illegal aliens are demanding their "rights"! The U.S. has already sent them a clear message that it was OK that they sneaked in illegally. NO problem! Now they're going for full citizens' rights without all the pesky parts of being an American (ya know those little things such as paying state and fed. income tax, buying car insurance, buying health insurance...)

Last week 22 people were arrested in a fake ID business in the Hispanic area known as Little Village. What was the reaction of the (mostly illgeal) community? PROTESTS! The cops used excessive force and were a little rough, so once again they're demanding something else! Yeah, we're here illegally and we're also breaking the law producing fake ID, but ya didn't have to bring out the big guns!

Welcome to Chicago, by the way.

My aunt was forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 16 to a 32 year old U.S. citizen for the sole purpose of her bringing over her siblings through Naturalization. They were married for almost 50 years until his death 10 years ago. I think of the huge sacrifice that was thrust upon her just so that she as well as her siblings could immigrate here legally. It absolutely infuriates me that a group of people feel that it is their right that they can cross over the border illegally and demand that they be given citizenship. This country has immigration laws that everybody should abide by. No group should be allowed to bypass it otherwise why have immigration laws? It is unfair to those who have followed the rules and waited patiently to become a U.S. citizen by allowing anyone to disregard the rules because they feel they're above the law. I say the mom and her son should be deported back to Mexico. She was here illegally therefore her son was born here illegally.

Not too many people address the immigrants who have started the process that leads to naturalization. They are doing the right thing. Yet they live in a legal limbo. College students can't be given federal aid and laws make it so it is STILL illegal for them to work. Yes, it's a hard and long process the government must go through to legalize them, but what are these immigrants supposed to do in the mean time?

I saw an interview with Ms. Arellano and she had to have an interpreter to speak for her. It puzzles me that we (Americans) are going to help her fight for her right to stay here in the US, but she has not taken the time in 10 years to learn to speak the language. You would think learning to speak the language would be one step closer to her proving that she should be here. We make it all to easy for people to come here and live. They should all be made to prove that they want to be here, but learning the language and making sure that their children are in school.

Not too many people address the immigrants who have started the process that leads to naturalization. They are doing the right thing. Yet they live in a legal limbo. College students can't be given federal aid and laws make it so it is STILL illegal for them to work. Yes, it's a hard and long process the government must go through to legalize them, but what are these immigrants supposed to do in the mean time?

What I don't understand is if the mother is an illegal immigrant, how was she able to purchase and own a home, pay taxes and pay for her child's education? Did she use her son't SS#??
Bottom line, she knew the risk when she came her illegally... She knew the risk when she had a child here... I feel that all mexican immigrants should be allowed to stay IF they become citizens of the United States and learn the English language...There are good reasons to become legal... Employers have to pay taxes, have to follow our laws and not mistreat employees... Illegals run the risk of being mistreated, underpaid etc... I am sorry that life in their country is terrible, but unless they come here legally, they run the risk of being sent back... It's sad, but I am tired of paying my taxes to help pay for them...

Did she try to become a legal immigrant anytime in the past 10 years? If yes, then what is the problem if she has shown that she has paid taxes, owns a home, etc.

If no, shame on her. If she wanted to stay in the US, then she should have started working on becoming "legal" as soon as she got here. I can't feel bad for her. She chose to have a child for which SHE is responsible. If she is deported, then she should take him with her.

The US needs to change its laws about becoming a citizen if you are born here. If the child's mother is not a citizen, the child shouldn't be either. I think the Bahamas have this law.

Soledad:

This woman seems to be contributing more to this country than some Americans do. How long and difficult is the process to become a citizen? Does anyone know? She shouldn't be deported and it would be reprehensible if she were to be separated from her son. I'm kind of shocked at how harsh some attitudes are toward immigrants-illegal or not. This country is, after all, the result of immigration.
Off the subject...I miss my "O'Brien fix" on "American Morning." Honestly, I haven't watched it since you and Miles left. It just isn't the same.

Welcome to Chicago! I think that the government has to address the issue of border security before they can do anything about illegals and citizenship. I don't think mass deportation is the way to solve the problem of illegal immigration. I also don't think that they should split up families. I do think that those already in the country should be able to apply for citizenship. If they are able to go through the system legally they will then be able to work , support themselves and pay taxes. We've created this problem by not tightening up our borders. It's not "land of the free and home of the brave" if you round people up , seperate families and ship people out of the country. I watched Lou Dobbs and Rick Sanchez debate last night-thought both were great! It reminded me that growing up in Philadelphia, the best hoagies and pizzas were found in places where only Italian was spoken. When did we become so intolerant?

I don't understand why this has to be so difficult. Why are our laws incongruent. He is in the process of moving to Europe with his company. His wife just found out she is pregnant. In all likelihood, my grandchild will be born abroad. They have already checked out the rules. My grandchild will be an American citizen only. In the country where they will residing, you have to be born in the country with atleast one parent being a citizen of that country before you are considered to be a citizen. Makes sense to me. If our laws were changed to read in the same manner,the child would either not be a citizen and deported with the parent or if one parent is a citizen, become the responsibility of that parent. This may sound harsh to some but the current laws encourage people to come here. Once here they have babies neither they or our U.S. citizens can afford.

I feel very bad for her son, but she is here illegally. She was even deported one time before this. The blog states that she owns her own home and pays taxes. How? You need an ID to do that.

I understand first hand that the immigration policies are tough. My husband is an immigrant (legal) and we just received his greencard. The entire process cost over $3500 and took 2 ½ years. One year was simply for the FBI background check. After going through this and experiencing the frustrations, I still feel that the laws are in place for a reason and should not be changed.

I get so mad at these people such as Arellano who feel that they are exempt from these laws. I also get upset when they protest the laws of the country that they want to be a part of. I hope that the government wakes up and realizes that amnesty is NOT the answer.

Soledad we've missed you!

I'm excited to see your report tonight on 360.

What ever happened to immigrants becoming naturalized the good old fashioned American way? The fact that this woman has been here ten years and is now whining because she faces deportation--well, maybe she should have checked into it beforehand. And as for her son, I can name a lot of couples who would give everything to adopt a healthy child. Many kids in foster care are there because their parents screwed up legally and lost them. The children do survive being adopted by loving, law abiding citizens. I wonder about the mother being fit if she's using her kid as a poster child pawn to support her cause. Seems like neglect to me and something the state should look into...I don't buy that I should feel sorry for someone who can't do things the right way and have to pay through my taxes to support those who can't and won't take care of their own problems.

The immigration laws need serious reworking, not just the amnesty that the President and most of Congress want. The only reason the amnesty hasn't gone through is that it is not supported by a majority of Americans. The issue is clear, regardless of how hard working and well minded most illegal immigrants are, they are here ILLEGALLY!

If you are here illegally you should have absolutely no rights except basic human rights. You should not be able to sue, you should not get welfare, workers comp, food stamps, medical coverage (except absolute emergencies), driver's licenses, etc. The amount of money that is paid by these services to those here illegally is staggering. In the end, it costs Americans far more in taxes to cover the burden put on our social services by illegals.

With that being said, it needs to be far easier for people who want to come here to earn a living, take care of their families, and assimilate into American society to do so.

"Ellis Island" Centers would be a great idea, after we have secured our borders and ports. People could go to these centers, be checked for diseases, have their criminal background checked, etc. Once it is determined that they are not a threat to American's they can stay for a certain period of time or apply for permanent residency. After another period of time, they could become citizens.

However, we should not encourage law breaking just because we don't like the law. I don't like paying taxes, but I pay them because that's what the law says I have to do. If you want to help those who are truly trying to help their family, tell your congressman/woman to streamline the LEGAL immigration process while still protecting our borders. That way we know who is in our country.

The Police need to enter the church with a warrant (or BY FORCE) drag Ms. Areyllano OUT and deport her! Shame on her--cowardly "hiding in the church", we do not need people who disrespect the law, and hide behind religion?!? She's OUTTA HERE! (And her silly little son as well.) This stupid "jus solis" or whatever the law was named--it's time to end it. And, lastly--DENY MEDICAL CARE TO THE ILLEGALS!! Free food, free medical, no taxes....who WOULDN'T want to move here??

I fail to understand why folks just don't look to existing law for the solution to this problem. In my state, parents are held responsible to raise their own children. This is all inclusive. If a child is born in the United States but their parents are illegal, it is still the parent’s responsibility to raise their child. It should not matter whether it’s here or in their own country. The child should go home with their parents. When the child turns 18 years old, The United States requires persons with duel citizenships to choose one.

If the child chooses to remain a United States Citizen, they may come across into the United States and live here just as any other citizen (with all of the same rights and privileges.) Once they have established themselves, they may elect to sponsor their parents here in the United States.

We are one of only a few countries I have visited (I have been to 105 countries) that does not actively seek out those who have entered illegally or overstayed their welcome. I have family members who had duel citizenships due to their parents being federal employees in foreign countries. They too had to choose their citizenship preference at age 18.

To not enforce our own laws is an affront to our own citizens and those immigrants who come to the United States legally. Overstay your welcome in Mexico and see what happens to you. Try to sneak across the border of Mexico and Guatemala and see how well you are received if you’re caught.

Dear Soledad,
Primero; Buenos Tardes Amiga y como estas?
Segundo;Here the constitution reads:

Section. 1. All persons [born or naturalized] in the United States and [subject to the jurisdiction thereof], [are] citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. [No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of [citizens] of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.]

It would seem then that one must first meet one of two conditions to be considered a citizen; being born or naturalized in the united states. Illegal immigrants meet neither one nor the other of these two criteria. This part of the constitution specifically names [citizens]as the beneficiary of it's protection.

It does in the last part, however, mention "nor deny to [any] person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." It is this last part that illegal immigrant supporters latch onto as justification for their claims.

Basically, what that implies is that anyone within the U.S. border or any of it's states, has the right to equal protection of the laws.

What they may not know or may not want to admit is, we have no laws protecting ILLEGAL immigrants because "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of [citizens] of the United States..." and to make such a law enables immigrants to come to or stay in America ILLEGALLY thereby abridging the priviliges and immunities of [citizens] (I.E., persons [born or naturalized] in the United States and [subject to the jurisdiction thereof]).

Any such law or allowance grants immunity for an illegal action (which citizens do not have); namely, immigrating to the United States by illegal means, and thus does not afford equal protection in the form of immunity. As well, to allow an illegal immigrant to stay, after having been discovered for committing an illegal act, would seem to grant a special privilige at the expense of others without due process of law.

I believe further that the ILLEGAL immigration lobby knows this, and seeks to use the religious establishment clause in the first ammendment as a loophole or abridgement to immunity. I imagine they think it's clever to do so.

Not so clever, however, because in all honesty I think they should be allowed the loophole... in spades. Since the law may not interfere with any establishment of religion or religious doctrine, I advocate that any and all illegal immigrants may indeed take shelter and gain immunity inside the confines of that religious establishment as long as that religious establishment may care for that number of illegal immigrants within the confines of its immunitty.

However, the millisecond a person leaves the confines of that sanctuary, they are subject to the jursidiction of the law and therefor should be held in contempt of the laws and be judged according to their crime, as well as be deported as the law allows it.

I wonder how long their support for such a loophole will last, as their walls will inevitably bulge with the sheer volume of illegal immigrants seeking such immunitty? They are not and we are not, after all, possessed of unlimited resources.

My father was an immigrant to this country in 1958, did it legally, was naturalized, paid his fees and money through hard work as he came here with nothing but the shirt on his back. He's from England. Does that suprise you? My ex-husband also moved here and went through the appropriate green card process, although he hasn't been naturalized yet. He's from Scotland. How about that? When my ex-husband was traveling for work for his US-based company, he was returning from China and his travel papers were one day out of date, yet he was turned back in Detroit for incorrect documentation. WHY aren't we catching and preventing the illegal immigrants who often take plane rides here, car rides here, or simply walk across our borders? While I sympathize with family members being separated, I sympathize more with our legal citizens who are made to pick up legal, medical and education bills for those who simply cross the border to give birth. If we truly wish to improve our country, we should direct a significant part of our efforts to a) monitoring our borders better and b) ensuring that we try to help countries where living conditions are so poor that their citizens feel obligated to sneak across the border to earn a living, such as Mexico and yes, even Canada. We cannot support everyone in the world, but we can surely reach out the hand of friendship and assistance to them to help them better their own standards of living in their countries.

My solution to the 12 million plus illegals still here is simple: Have Social Security periodically screen their databases for duplicate entries and employ fraud detection measures like credit card companies do. Not only will we identify the illegals but we will clean up other ID thieves as well. Sure we don't have enough jail space for 12 million people all at once, but it will take time. They didn't all come here overnight and we won't find them all overnight, but to throw up our hands and say we can't do it at all is just plain giving up.

Obviously immigration, illegal or otherwise, has become more and more of a political issue in recent times. Anti-immigration sentiments in general are a byproduct of American culture - whenever there's a problem, it's always someone else's fault. 9/11? Immigrants. Worsening public schools? Immigrants. Unemployment rates? Hmm, must be immigrants.

All of this represent common stereotypical views of immigration. 9/11 wasn't the fault of immigrants; it was the brainchild of democracy-hating extremists. Overcrowded and underfunded schools aren't the fault of immigrants; it's the fault of politicians who carelessly dole out money for unnecessary pork-barrel projects. High unemployment rates aren't the fault of immigrants; they're a result of a broken education system and an increasing failure to stop students from falling through the cracks.

Immigration just happens to be a convenient political platform for wooing right-wing conservatives. It's also a way of distracting the public from the realities of today. Our elected officials reek of corruption, the alleged 'war' in Iraq is failing miserably, and the federal deficit has ballooned to unmeasurable proportions.

Wake up, America. Immigration isn't the problem. It's the people who point the finger of blame their way who are leading our country into fiscal and geopolitical ruin.

This woman is not only here illegally, for the second time, she has also been convicted of using a fake social security number. She should go to prison, then be deported. The child argument is irrelevant. If she was going to prison for her CRIMES, would they let her be free because she would be separated from her child? I don't think so. At least with deportation, she can take him with her.

What really burns me is that my wife, who is a legal immigrant, and I have been waiting continuously since September of 2001 for the INS (now the USCIS). We waited 7 months to get a visa for her to come to the USA for us to get married, 6 months for an employment card, 13 months for a temporary green card, 16 months for a permanent green card and she was eligible for US citizenship last January (when we filed the application), but we expect to be waiting another 6 to 12 months for that process. We recently received a Notice Of Action for her to be fingerprinted postmarked April 6, 2007 for an appointment to be fingerprinted on Feb 15, 2007. She was just fingerprinted last December but we were told that was a different USCIS department and 'they don't share information'. Then we wanted a relative from asia to visit us but he couldn't get a tourist visa so we were going to meet him for a couple of weeks in Central America but we couldn't get him a flight because it would involve an international-to-international flight connection at LAX and therefore a US transit visa would be required. Now we're looking at bringing him all the way around the other side of the world just to get flights that avoid the USA! So I wonder how many of those 12+ million illegals would have done things legally if our bureaucrats would provide a more responsive and reasonable system? But the flip side is that the illegals are creating the demand for diversion of DHS/USCIS resources away from processing and toward border patrol/enforcement --- which is futile with such permeable borders. Looks like a rock and a hard spot!

Soledad, Great to see you again tonight on 360,

I am not familar with the US Immigration laws. However, I think it would be a great tragedy for the son to be separated from his Mom. At his age such a separation will be a very emotional and traumatic experience for him. One he will have to deal with for live.

An innocent child should never pay for their parents' mistakes. If his Mom is deported her son should go with her. I hope the immigration laws will be changed to spare children from such possible trauma.

I as most Americans are not against immigrants. What we are against is illegal immigration. We are a nation of mixed people, but also a nation laws. The consitution being the basis of all that has followed. There is a process that has been established by our government for person from other countries to immigrate legally to this country and hundreds of people do it every year. So why cannot these people? Does one illegal act make another one legal? (such as the case of illegals having there children being born in the United States) I think not. Our policies need to be reviewed and update. Let me pose this question to all your viewers, if we legalize this 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants what are we going to do with the next 20 million? Forgive them too? Why even have a immigration policy? Being a police officer, I see the toll that illegal immigrants place upon our social systems and the resources of the governments, whether it is local or national. I understand wanting to have a better life for you and your family and we will welcome you with open arms as long as you follow the rules as others have done before you.
Lastly, there are many other nations that have stricter immigration laws then we do and if you are found to be in their country illegally they deport you immediately unlike here in the United States. We make it too easy for people to come here illegally. Do you think our nation would accept 11 or 12 million people not paying their taxes? I think not.

I don't think you are going to find much sympathy for the illegals. The fact that they are breaking the law is enough to turn off the vast majority of American Citizens. Those that are born here are welcome to stay. However, if the mother is so concerned about the well-being of the child, he may leave with her when she is deported. He should take proper documentation so that he can return when he is ready.
It is time for the USA to enforce its laws. This women cannot hide in the church. Go in, arrest her and send her on her way.

The logic of anchor babies is wrong from the start. If a person is here illegally then any children are also illegal. I do recall the days of the hypocrital Catholic Church saying children born out of wedlock or born in a marriage where one or both partners has been divorced, makes that child a 'bastard' in the eyes of the church. We need to stop this nonsense - illegal is illegal and two illegals doesn't make one legal!!

Individually, one will feel sorry for this person and her plight. It will not serve America's best interests, however, to give her a path to citizenship. That will encourage many others to rush the border and give birth. It is also worth noting that the US is one of the few countries (maybe the only one?)that gives automatic citizenship upon birth.

This unfortuante young man is a "anchor baby" and fulfilling the needs of the mother who bore him. I'm sure she intended for him to provide her with all the sympathy she is now receiving. She needs to face the consequences of her actions - and unforunately so does her son. She needs to return to Mexico with her son. Raise him and then let him sponsor her when he reaches 18 - that is if her blatant refusable of the deportation order allows it.

My question is simple. Why cant the government found a loop hole someplace and say that you have been in this church to long and you have to get out. This lady is setting a bad example for all the other illegal's. She is showing them that it is alright to live in a church. A church is not a home it is a place to worship. This is a case where the separation of church and state needs to be put aside and find away to get her out of the church.

She came to this country illegally even after being deported.

She used fake federal government identification.

She had a child without being married.

She knew that she was subject to deportation if she was ever caught, which she was. She is using her child as her mouthpiece hoping to squeeze unfounded sympathy form the American public and the U.S. government.

My hope is that the mainstream media publishes excerpts from a number of her spanish media interviews in which she insults Americans and the U.S. she also complains of Racism, discrimation, etc....yet she still wants to stay here.

I have a simple solution. Deport the child back to mexico with his ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT mother, after he has been stripped of his American Citizenship, of course.

I have a simple solution. Deport the child back to mexico with his ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT mother, after he has been stripped of his American Citizenship, of course.

I live in the Chicago suburbs and am familiar with the Arellano case. She entered the country illegally and was convicted of using either an invalid or stolen SS#. When faced with deportation she decided the church would protect her. I've lived here all my life,but if I broke the same law I don't think they'd send me anywhere as sunny as Mexico.

This whole situation amazes me. I am sitting here watching ILLEGAL imigrants be escorted on a March for equal rights by police! This woman embodies all that is wrong with the system. She is claiming "Sacntuary" in a church that is in US soil. Arrest her and deport her. Do you know what would happen to me if I used someone elses SS number to get a job or buy a house I would be in a federal prison so fast my head would spin. Do you know what it takes to buy a house? How much paper work and I'd is needed? She has had accomplises no doubt. And if she has not then she is. Guilty of falsification of documentation another felony. What happened to three strikes? A citizen would be on a mandatory 25 year stretch in a lot of states. And why the hell are these people not being arrested? What am I paying taxes for?
We have officers of the law on motorcycles escorting them to their protest? They do not have the feedpm to asemble arrest them for that too. They are not citizen they do not have the rights my family dougy and died for. My family serves and fights and dies, spills their blood to protect my rights and the rights of legal AMERICANS! I have a very good friend from Bosnia, he still has to jump through hops from time to time and he is a legal citizen! You wany rights? Well if you are illegal, just remember when you are arrested, even the right to remain silent does not apply.