ChiTrib Refers to Illegal Immigrant Fugitive As Mere 'Activist'

"Activist arrested in L.A.: Deported to Tijuana, pastor says."

That's the headline for an August 20 Chicago Tribune story on convicted Social Security fraudster and serial border-jumper Elvira Arellano. Reporter Antonio Olivo mentioned the conviction, but deep in the article in the 14th paragraph:

Much of the anger from across the political spectrum surrounding illegal immigration has been crystallized by Arellano's story. After entering the country illegally twice, she became an activist shortly after she was arrested in 2002 during a federal sweep at O'Hare International Airport, where Arellano cleaned airplanes. She was later convicted of using a fake Social Security card.

Before mentioning her criminal record, however, Olivo described how Arellano's arrest went down. Olivo then quoted from two of Arellano's enablers, Chicago Methodist minister Rev. Walter Coleman, who sheltered Arellano in his church for a year, and a woman described simply as "Chicago activist Emma Lozano."

Lozano's Chicago-based group, Pueblo sin Fronteras, is geared towards defending illegal immigrants and pushing for immigration reform.

Olivo eventually got around to finding someone happy with Arellano's arrest and deportation, in paragraph 20:

Rick Biesada, director and founder of the Chicago Minuteman Project, lauded the arrest, but he said it came a year too late.

Labeling Chicago Tribune Journalistic Issues Antonio Olivo Elvira Arellano

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