Immigration Justice Work Is Happening! See new articles and links below.
At this point, we are offering the following ministries:
- Legal Clinics for Know Your Rights
- Financial Assistance for Legal Fees and Living Expenses
- Support Group Meetings
- Accompaniment to ICE Check-ins and Immigration Court Appearances
- Making Food and Medication Runs
- Safe Zone Launch Pad
WE ARE A SAFE SPACE
If you are seeking urgent assistance, a place to go, advice, a legal referral, or anything else, please contact Pastor Ken.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of our immigration justice ministries. This is one of the ways we advocate for inclusion, equity, and justice for all immigrants living in the United States, regardless of their immigration status. Our hearts have been touched by the friendships we have made through our work for undocumented people. We are truly blessed and promise to continue working towards positive change.
Our next support meeting and legal clinic is scheduled for June 7. Please note, we will not be meeting at Shadow Rock.
Contact Pastor Ken for time and place. We are also providing a Zoom link for those who prefer to attend via Zoom. Contact Pastor Ken to get the link. All are invited. Please contact Pastor Ken about our important and quiet work.
Today's Immigration News
REGARDING OUR FRIEND LILY AVILA:
Hello Everyone!
I appreciate your faithfulness to Lily Avila and your inquiries about her court date on April 14, 2026. I finally received an update on 4/13/26.
I received a call from one of our immigration attorneys at 2:22 pm with disheartening news. The judge has ordered Lily's removal prior to the hearing tomorrow. This means there is no court appearance on 4/14 as the decision has already been made. Her attorney will appeal the decision. There are several aspects to consider.
- Lily is not the only person whose judgments are being made pre-emptively. Several immigration attorneys report that their clients are seeing different judges, but decisions are happening to many of them before their court appearances. It seems this is a move the immigration courts are required by the Executive Branch to make to expedite removal proceedings.
- Since Lily does not have to go to court, she will avoid ICE appearing at her hearing and initiating immediate removal.
- Lily is wearing an ankle monitor, so she is vulnerable to being picked up anytime.
- Offering sanctuary may be an option for Lily, but this is not the "safety net" it used to be, given the rescission of ICE's sensitive location policy.
Neither her attorney nor I know what can be done next other than to make the appeal.
Pastor Ken
MORE NEWS!
How Trump Purged Immigration Judges to Speed Up Deportations | The New York Times
While militarized immigration raids have been heavily publicized, an equally meaningful action by the Trump administration has been less in the spotlight: the overhaul of immigration courts and firing of pro-immigrant immigration judges. Immigration judges are not part of the judicial branch but rather the Justice Department, under President Trump's command, which means they can be fired. A new investigation shows the extent to which the Trump administration has pressured the nation's immigration judges to order more immigrants deported and has fired the ones who have not complied. So far, the Trump administration has dismissed more than 100 immigration judges out of about 750 in place when the second Trump administration began. "All of us are looking over our shoulders," said Holly D'Andrea, an immigration judge in Texas who was appointed during the first Trump administration.
This impacts most of the families we work with in our Immigration Justice Ministries. Our mission has been to keep people safe and families together. Part of this work was securing legal and administrative remedies for our families. Now, this is being taken away.
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