Frontline’s Chicago: Little Mexico begins as a story about the history of the Latinx ethnic neighborhood in the Windy City. However, as the story takes shape, it becomes about an illegal immigrant named Elvira Arellano and her fight to stay in America with her son, who is a U.S. citizen. Arellano’s story highlights issues within the immigration system and exposes certain stereotypes and prejudices that are held against Latinx people.
“In “Little Mexico,” it’s clear that Arellano’s case has touched many hearts, as well as many nerves. At a public hearing about creating a sanctuary for illegal immigrants in Illinois’ Cook County, one citizen says, “I cannot see that anyone who breaks the law can demand any rights; America is really bankrupt.”
The pastor of the church where Arellano takes refuge provides a different perspective. “This government, Republican and Democratic administrations, opened the borders for people to come across,” he says. “And they let them work because it was good for the nation…If a nation is going to be healthy, it has to take responsibility for the families that were formed here and the children that were born here.”
As a first-generation Polish immigrant who lived in Chicago for nearly 25 years, Marzynski brings a unique perspective to the story. In the film, he interweaves Arelleno’s story with Chicago’s history as an immigrant city. “I have this kind of image that in America, Chicago is a boat in the ocean,” he says. “A rescue ship.”
Chicago has in fact had a long history of absorbing waves of immigrants from all over the world. The current Latino neighborhoods were once the largest Polish communities outside of Poland. Between 1880 and 1960, Chicago had the second-highest foreign-born population in the United States. Today, the city is home to the second-largest Mexican population in the United States.
Because of her plight, Elvira Arellano has become a public figure. But her message echoes that of many immigrants. “They accepted my taxes and they accepted my labor,” she says. “Not only me, they let millions of other families make their lives here.”
America’s immigration debate may continue for generations. But for now, Arellano and others like her continue their fight. On November 2nd, 2006, a march of families — illegal immigrants with legal children — organized by Arellano’s mentor, Emma Lozano, will take place in Washington, D.C. They hope the day’s elections will bring new voices to the discussion that could lead to reforms friendlier to immigrants.”
“FRONTLINE/WORLD . Rough Cut . Chicago: Little Mexico | PBS,” accessed May 4, 2020, https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/10/chicago_little.html.