Imagine one day you are working at a retail store trying to meet the needs of your family. Then suddenly law enforcement agents come and take you away ripping you away from that family. You are then hauled away into a detention center and are uncertain when you will see your family again. 

This is not the plot of a dystopian novel. This is what happened to Jeannette Vizguerra on March 17^th, 2025. Vizguerra is an undocumented immigrant and mother of four who has become a powerful voice in comprehensive immigration reform movement. She fled violence in Mexico and eventually made her home in Denver, Colorado. 

In 2017, Times named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is well known in immigration advocacy circles because she entered sanctuary in a church during the first Trump administration and for speaking up for immigrants in similar situations. Her stay in sanctuary at a Denver church was documented in the movie Si Puderia Quedarme/If I Could Stay produced by iNation Media. She was able to successfully push the administration at the time to give her permission to stay in the country. However, this permission was quickly annulled under the new Trump administration which led to her arrest. 

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On March 30^th, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in cooperation with United We Dream and iNation Media held a virtual event to highlight Vizguerra’s situation and rally support for her. Leading up to the event, attendees had the chance to watch the entire documentary Si Puderia Quedarme/If I Could Stay. On the day of the event, attendees got to meet a panel of people doing the work directly with immigrants and even got to listen to Vizguerra’s oldest daughter speak about her mom’s situation. The rally then called participants to action signing a petition asking for Vizguerra’s release and to help Vizguerra’s GoFundMe. Vizguerra’s case is going to take time and resources and anything can help. Already Vizguerra’s attorneys filed complaints accusing the government of not following due process and retaliating against her for her activism. 

Vizguerra’s case is a microcosm of the larger immigration crisis. The administration states that they are only deporting people who are criminals. That is not the case. The deportation of people is so indiscriminate, that even American citizens are getting caught up in the deportation machine. Most immigrants are in the country because they are fleeing extreme poverty, climate change fueled disasters, and violence. This administration has attacked the safe and legal way for immigrants to petition for protection from their situations by stopping people from petitioning for asylum at the border and has completely halted the admission of refugees. 

Now is the time for the church to stand up for what is right. In 2022, the General Assembly declared the Presbyterian Church a sanctuary and an accompaniment church. The Presbyterian Church has had a deep history of providing sanctuary and support for migrants. In the 1980s, the Presbyterian Church was one of the key churches providing sanctuary to migrants escaping the civil wars in Central America. We have a history of standing up for those unjustly detained.  

Here’s what you can do now: 

1. Sign Vizguerra’s petition asking for her release
2. Donating to Vizguerra’s GoFundMe
3. Stream the movie Si Puederia Quedarme/If I Could Stay
4. Find and partner with organizations already engaging with migrants in your community and discern where you can effectively accompany migrants. No need to reinvent the wheel! 

If you have questions about how you can help, contact PDA's Mission Specialist for Migration Accompaniment Ministries at [email protected]