A coalition of faith leaders across Southern California has mobilized to provide moral, spiritual, and practical support to immigrants during heightened enforcement and deportation proceedings.
At a Glance
- Faith leaders regularly stand outside immigration courts—like Santa Ana’s—to support detainees through prayer, conversation, and presence.
- Clergy and lay volunteers deliver essentials such as food, medicine, rent assistance, and livestream services to those afraid to leave home.
- The Archdiocese of Los Angeles launched a “Family Assistance Program,” helping around 150 families with groceries, medication, and rent.
- Interfaith efforts span denominations—from Catholic and Episcopal to Protestant—offering accompaniment, training, and encouragement in a time of increased fear.
- In San Diego, priests and bishops marked World Refugee Day by visiting federal immigration court to bear witness and express solidarity with migrants in hearings.
Support at Courtrooms and Homes
Since early June, Southern California has seen a surge in immigration arrests and raids under the Trump administration. In response, religious leaders have been gathering each Thursday outside immigration courts—like in Santa Ana—to offer a calming presence, prayer, and aid to those waiting for hearings, as embodied by Rev. Oona Casanova Vazquez’s gesture of offering a mint and offering reassurance to a Peruvian national.
Watch now: Clergy Pray with Migrants at California Courthouse · YouTube
At the same time, many churches and nonprofits are delivering food, medicine, and rent assistance to members who fear leaving home. Some are streaming services live to minimize risk, and an interfaith organizing group—Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice—provides training on how to act and relay detainees’ information to loved ones.
Diocesan and Interfaith Initiatives
In Los Angeles, the Archdiocese launched a Family Assistance Program serving ~150 families with essentials, funded by community donations, to help vulnerable parishioners during raids. Meanwhile, at Our Lady of Soledad Catholic Church in Coachella Valley, nearly 20% of congregants lack legal status; church leaders have actively assured them of continued support, even amid discouragement stemming from enforcement actions.
Bearing Witness Through Presence — San Diego
On World Refugee Day (June 20, 2025), San Diego faith leaders—including Jesuit priest Rev. Scott Santarosa and Bishop Michael Pham, a Vietnamese refugee—held a Mass and then visited federal immigration court to bear witness to proceedings and offer spiritual solidarity. Their presence was meant not to intervene legally but to convey moral support and attention to the human dignity of those affected.