Immigrant activist takes refuge in church

CHICAGO, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A Chicago advocate for illegal immigrants has defied federal authorities trying to deport her back to Mexico by taking refuge in a church.

Elvira Arellano, who had been ordered to report to the Department of Homeland Security by 9 a.m. Tuesday, has vowed to stay in a Chicago church indefinitely with her 7-year-old son, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"If Homeland Security chooses to send agents to a holy place, I would know that God wants me to serve as an example of the hatred and hypocrisy of the current administration," Arellano told supporters from the pulpit of Adalberto United Methodist Church.

The Tribune said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and other members of the state's congressional delegation have urged homeland security officials to let Arellano remain in Chicago to care for her son, who is a U.S. citizen and suffers from a number of health problems.

Arellano helped found United Latino Family, a Chicago-based group that lobbies for families that could be split by deportation, the newspaper said.