Chicago church offers sanctuary to 2nd illegal immigrant

By Tara Malone - Chicago Tribune
Monday, January 28, 2008 - Web Link
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January 28, 2008

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.