Immigrant Taking Refuge In Church Will Be Arrested, Feds Say

CHICAGO (STNG) - 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.

Crisostomo sat quietly among several dozen parishioners during a service Sunday as the Rev. Walter Coleman rallied his congregation around her.

Trouble for Crisostomo, who came to the United States seven years ago from Guerrero, Mexico, began when she was arrested in 2006 during a series of federal raids on a company that employed illegal immigrants.

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."