Presbytery Gifts Matching Grant to Immigration Aid Partners
This week, the Presbytery of San José gathered in a small garden outside Westhope Presbyterian Church in Saratoga to mark a meaningful milestone. Surrounded by wildflowers, faith leaders, advocates, and partners came together to celebrate the Legal Aid Initiative — a fundraising effort that has raised over $30,000 to support immigrant families facing some of the most uncertain days of their lives.
The Initiative began in January, born from a question heard across our congregations: how do we, as people of faith, respond to the fear so many of our neighbors are carrying? In partnership with Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment in Santa Clara County and the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, the Presbytery pledged matching funds of up to $15,000 — $7,500 for each organization — to strengthen legal services, advocacy, and family support for those navigating immigration proceedings.
The need is real and immediate. Across our region, families have grown fearful of everyday life — attending appointments, sending children to school, gathering for worship, even visiting a park or grocery store. Behind every statistic is a person: a parent, a child, a neighbor. Into that reality, Amigos de Guadalupe and the Community Action Board do integral work, often unseen by their broader constituents. Their work meets immigrant families where they are — offering legal aid, accompaniment, and community-based care among other services.
While providing remarks during the ceremony, EP Neal Presa named the conviction at the heart of this effort: that remaining indifferent while our neighbors are being targeted is simply not an option for people of faith. As a result, conviction has taken many forms these past months within our own Presbytery community — church members accompanying neighbors to hearings, joining demonstrations, and supporting families through difficult proceedings.
Our mission partners feel the urgency acutely. The leadership of Amigos de Guadalupe speaks from lived experience, carrying forward the memory of immigrant families’ sacrifice and a deep commitment to serving the most vulnerable among us. And those closest to the work describe a stark reality: too many people are being detained without any legal representation at all — a profound injustice that legal aid funding can begin to address.
It would be easy to treat a day like this as a finish line. It isn’t. If anything, moments like these remind us that the work must continue now, more than ever. Efforts like this are integral primarily for the very real aid they provide, but also for what they signify. This is what faith-based service should look like. This is the Presbytery and its mission partners in action: a community choosing to show up, again and again, for our neighbors. We give thanks for the collaborative efforts of our non-profit neighbors, and continue forward in hopes of continuing to show up for our immigrant neighbors.
By Colin Richardson, Communications & Executive Support Associate