Woman living in church hopes for reprieve from deportation - Though she entered the United States illegally in 1998, she says she's 'a mother, not a criminal.'

The 29-year-old mother says she would much rather be with her husband and their other two children at home in Oxnard. But that's not possible.

Liliana, an illegal immigrant who sought sanctuary at the church in August, is hoping for a legal reprieve that would allow her to live at home without fear of arrest or deportation as she pursues her desire to stay in the United States.

"I'm a mother, not a criminal," said the slight, soft-spoken woman during a recent interview at the church on Royal Avenue.

But opponents of illegal immigration disagree wholeheartedly. To them, Liliana became a criminal the moment she crossed the U.S. border with Mexico in the late 1990s without proper documentation. The fact that Liliana now shares responsibility for three children who were born in the United States and therefore are citizens, should not give her a free pass regarding her illegal status, they say.

"Her and other families like hers wouldn't be in this situation if she had just done it the right way at first and not broken the law to begin with," said Chelene Nightingale, spokeswoman for Save Our State, an anti-illegal immigration group. "She didn't have a family when she first got here. . . . I have no ill-will against [Liliana] personally. It's not her, but she's the symbol of a bigger problem."

Likewise, Albert Rodriguez, who founded Don't Speak for Me, another anti-illegal immigration group, said supporters of the sanctuary movement are aiding and abetting lawbreakers.

"I don't care what the denomination is, they're wrong," Rodriguez said.

The case involving Liliana, who asked that her last name not be published because she fears for her safety, received national attention in September when the city of Simi Valley sent the church a bill for nearly $40,000 to cover the cost of extra law enforcement officers called out during a local anti-illegal immigration rally. Officials later decided not to force the reimbursement issue, saying that the country needs a clearer federal policy on immigration.

Liliana, while fully aware that many opponents of illegal immigration do not sympathize with her, said she wanted to describe her experiences in the hope of generating greater understanding of families made up of both illegal immigrants and U.S. citizens.