In January, one of our board members, John Hurley, was published in the American Magazine. In an article titled “I accompany migrants in court. Their stories haunt me,” John reflects on his experience walking with immigrant families as they attend their immigration court hearings, an act that often puts them at risk of detention and family separation.
In his retirement, John continued his life-long practice of getting close to the “gritty reality” of this world. When he was presented with an opportunity to get trained by Justice For Migrant Families and New York Immigration Coalition for their Court Accompaniment program, he signed up.
I am a lawyer, but I do not appear in immigration court in that capacity. Rather I go as someone to accompany and walk with people in what is a terrifying moment in their lives. I am there to bear witness to some of the worst actions of our government, undertaken in the name of “We the People.”
Since then, he has witnessed heart-breaking stories of families who have done all that was asked of them, who face real persecution if they return to their home country, and yet are ordered deported by immigration judges. His presence, and that of other volunteers, often deters ICE from detaining these families as they leave the courthouse.
Check out his reflection: https://www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus/2026/01/16/accompany-migrants-immigration-court/
