A migrant court accompaniment ministry starts with names spoken like prayers, and the list keeps growing. In El Paso, Scalabrinian Sisters Leticia Gutiérrez Valderrama and Elisete Signor respond to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive because fear now shadows the immigration court. The sisters remember Carlos, a man later deported to Cuba, and they built the migrant court accompaniment ministry around that first encounter. Gutiérrez Valderrama offered to walk with him, and his relief stayed with her.
Volunteers Meet Families at the Moment of Maximum Fear
Federal agents still wait by elevators and railings, but volunteers now sit beside trembling relatives. Since last June, the team has accompanied more than 1,000 people to court. They also accompany about 300 people in detention each year. When a hearing ends, and agents appear, volunteers move fast so families do not face chaos alone. They hand out Sharpies to write phone numbers on bodies and push practical plans for cars and childcare.
An Integrated System Links Court, Detention, and Family Support
Many groups accompany migrants, but this integrated model stands out in the Diocese of El Paso. The sisters watch trauma unfold in court, and they follow people into detention afterward. Volunteers share updates with families about weight loss, tears, and morale. Signor runs a WhatsApp group with more than 500 relatives, and her phone never stops. Small grants buy books and fund detainees’ communication accounts, so connection survives confinement.
Faith, Humor, and Daily Work Sustain the Mission
Accompaniment can mean rocking a newborn, returning a deported person’s truck to Juarez, or sending an ICE locator voice message to Brazil. The courthouse team includes a Jesuit lawyer who offers basic guidance and religious communities that arrive weekly from New Mexico. They build relationships with court staff but avoid an adversarial posture to preserve a buffer for counseling. Even staff members now ask for prayers, and volunteers bring humor when children need relief.
Supporters and Detractors Weigh the Costs of Accompaniment
Supporters call the migrant court accompaniment ministry sacred, effective, and humane because it steadies people during life-changing moments. They praise the sisters’ persistence and want other regions to adopt the model. Detractors worry about emotional overload, scarce volunteers, and blurred lines in a tense enforcement setting. Some priests hesitate to join because they fear for their own status, and Signor admits the burden can haunt sleep. Still, the team returns, but it does so knowing that the needs will outpace the available hands.
In El Paso, two Catholic sisters follow detained immigrants wherever ICE takes them
Photo by Vitaliy Shevchenko on Unsplash
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