Boy's plea moves Mexican congress

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6150380.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Mexico's congress has urged the US not to deport a Mexican woman after her seven-year-old son travelled from the US to appeal to lawmakers for help.

Saul Arellano appeared in Mexico's chamber of deputies to call for pressure on the US.

But when initially confronted by crowds of reporters and lawmakers, he was overwhelmed and hid under a table

The boy's mother, Elvira, has been in the US illegally, but he is a US citizen because he was born in Chicago.

The two have been living in a Chicago church since August, when Ms Arellano was supposed to give herself up.

After Saul's appearance, lawmakers unanimously backed a resolution calling on the US administration to suspend the deportation of Ms Arellano and any other illegal immigrant parents of US citizens.

'Fugitive'

The small boy, whose mother has stayed in Chicago while he travelled to Mexico, initially tried to hide his face and clamber under a table, but later addressed congressmen in a quiet voice in Spanish.

The boy found time to play with toy wrestlers during his visit"I want them to tell President Bush to end the deportations so that my mother and other families can stay together in the United States," he said.

But US officials say if she wants to avoid splitting up the family, she should take her son back to Mexico.

"Nothing really has changed, from our perspective she's still considered to be an immigration fugitive," Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gail Montenegro told the Associated Press news agency.

Ms Arellano crossed the border in 1997, days after being sent back after a previous attempt, and settled in Oregon for three years before moving to Chicago.

She worked as a cleaning woman at O'Hare International Airport, but was convicted of being employed under a false Social Security number and served three years' probation.

Ms Arellano was supposed to hand herself over for deportation on 15 August.

Authorities have not attempted to seize her from the church where she has been living since then.

Ms Arellano has rejected criticism that the boy is being used unfairly, saying they do not understand what the family has suffered.

Correspondents say the case is symbolic of the difficulties faced by millions of immigrant families in America who face similar dilemmas.