Walking with immigrant families in times of fear: ABHMS’ partnership supports compassion in action
VALLEY FORGE, PA (06/16/2026)—Recent immigration policy changes have made life much more stressful for immigrant families and communities in the United States. Often, amid uncertainty about their rights, parents are worried about deportation, and children fear that their families could be separated. The asylum application process is increasingly costly and complicated. While many communities rely on immigrant-owned small businesses, for many newcomers it is hard to get by.
We Care, an initiative of the First Baptist Church of Maywood in Maywood, Calif., has stepped in to live the Gospel by supporting immigrants and refugees in their community. Their multi-pronged program includes trainings to educate vulnerable communities about their rights; practical help for people who are applying for asylum; using their facilities to continue giving citizenship classes; providing aid to undocumented migrants who are in detention centers; and continued advocacy for changes in immigration policy.
“We help those who need legal assistance by connecting them with a network of lawyers who work with us, lowering the cost of legal assistance,” said Dr. Melvin Valiente, one of the senior pastors of FBC Maywood. “We are constantly organizing ‘Know Your Rights’ trainings and citizenship classes. We are walking with families who are afraid of deportation; we help them make plans of action in case of deportation. We are training pastors and church leaders to learn how to help immigrant families in these times.”
So far, the initiative has helped over 1,000 families. One of the people they helped is Christian, a young Nicaraguan man. In 2019, Christian was shot in the chest during protests against Daniel Ortega’s regime. Christian left Nicaragua with the bullet still lodged in his chest because he could not receive appropriate medical care in his country. Upon his entry into the U.S., he applied for political asylum and spent several months in a detention center. After several months, We Care secured his release from detention and welcomed him to the community. Christian was granted asylum and, ultimately, his green card. Now he is raising a family of his own.
“This year we have been able to release more than 15 people from Adelanto Detention Facility,” said Valiente. “There was a 20-year-old girl from Perú who had been detained by ICE, and we were able to get her released.”
These stories show that the church, whose mission is to “share the gospel of Jesus Christ with acts of compassion,” truly follows in the footsteps of Christ. American Baptist Home Mission Societies is proud to be a long-term partner of the FBC Maywood and We Care, as they extend Christ’s welcome to some of the most vulnerable members of their community.
To help our partners stand by people like Christian and his family in times of fear, give here.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and editor of The Christian Citizen
