Answering the Call: Volunteer to Accompany Unrepresented Migrant Children
JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images
In a May 2022 file photo, unaccompanied migrant minors deported from Mexico wait to eat a meal at a shelter in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. They were rescued and deported while trying to reach the United States.
Right now in the U.S., thousands of unaccompanied migrant children are facing the immigration court system without legal support. Recent funding cuts have left these children more vulnerable than ever — including four-year-olds appearing in court alone.
At the request of ImportaMi (a New York-based organization advocating for immigrant families) and the International Rescue Committee (a global humanitarian aid nonprofit), the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF) is helping to build a new network of trained volunteers to accompany these children as they navigate an often frightening and dehumanizing system.
What is accompaniment?
Accompaniment means showing up. It means being a presence of care and safety for children facing court without family or legal representation. Volunteers do not act as attorneys or caseworkers, but as trusted supporters who offer presence, transportation, and encouragement during a confusing and traumatic process.
PPF has long supported accompaniment as a form of gospel nonviolence — in Colombia, at the U.S.-Mexico border, and beyond. This effort brings that same spirit of solidarity into domestic settings where immigrant families are in urgent need.
What accompaniment is not: It is not about rescuing or speaking for others. Accompaniment is not charity — it is standing with people in their struggle, led by their needs and dignity.
Here's how to help:
Want to volunteer?
If you meet the criteria below, sign up here to express interest and receive more info.
Volunteers must:
Be bilingual in English and Spanish, Haitian Creole, French, Portuguese, or an Indigenous Guatemalan language
Have a valid driver’s license and access to reliable transportation
Be willing to undergo a background check
Have time and emotional capacity to accompany a child in crisis
Don't meet the criteria, but want to help?
Email info@presbypeacefellowship.org to share other skills or availability
Share this call widely! Include it in your church or community newsletter, share it with other congregations, or post on social media. We welcome secular and interfaith volunteers — accompaniment is for anyone willing to show up with compassion.
To learn more about the urgent need for accompaniment, we recommend reading this article from The Gothamist:
"4-Year-Old Migrant Girl, Other Kids Go to Court in NYC With No Lawyer"
This project is just beginning. We’re grateful to be trusted with this work — and we’re counting on a community of care to help it grow.
