What we do
Sacred Court Support (SCS) connects trained volunteers with community members who have upcoming immigration court hearings. SCS volunteers attend immigrants’ hearings alongside our friends, empowering them with information and providing moral support.
We are currently accompanying individuals and families for their Master Calendar Hearings and ICE Check Ins in New York
We are receiving referrals for individuals who have hearings in the next 2 months from the following organizations:
St. Paul & St Andrew UMC
VIA - Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid
B’nai Jeshurun
Co-Counsel NYC
The Asylum Support Clinic
New Neighbors Partnership
*If you would like to be a referring partner to Sacred Court Support, you can reach out to our team at scsaccompaniment@gmail.com. As we build our capacity we will expand our referral network.
Our accompaniment model is born from the belief that our immigrant friends are the experts of their own experience.
Accompaniers listen more than they speak, and support rather than lead.
Accompaniers are not case workers or legal advocates.
They serve as a steady and knowledgeable companion.
Sacred Court Support Volunteers (Accompaniers)
The role of the accompanier is to:
Support with companionship, presence and consistency
Empower by affirming each person’s agency and dignity and offering guidance through the unknown.
Communicate clearly and compassionately before and after court
Witness what happens in courtrooms that often goes unseen, and report back
Comfort in moments of fear, confusion, or silence
Create community through trust, relationship, and shared humanity
Our Guiding Values
Sacred Court Support is built around the lived realities of the folks we accompany. We recognize the trauma and strength they carry, and strive to create a space where their voice and agency are respected above all else.
We welcome people of all or no faith backgrounds who are committed to:
Dignity: affirming the full humanity of every person
Solidarity: following the leadership of those most impacted
Compassion: showing up with humility, not assumptions
Justice: holding systems accountable and building new ways of being
How We Practice Our Values
SCS centers relationships and trust
In addition to initial volunteer training, we ask all SCS volunteers to attend briefings with our leadership team before each accompaniment in order to receive the most up-to-date information and review any questions. SCS volunteers connect personally with the friend they accompany through both an introductory phone call and an early meetup on the day of their appearance to build trust and offer support.
SCS is rooted in solidarity – not saviorism.
We do not speak on behalf of our immigrant friends. We stand alongside them, centering their experience, dignity, and agency in every step of the process. Accompaniment is not charity. It is mutual care and built on trust.
SCS prioritizes transparency and bearing witness.
Too often, immigration court proceedings and immigrant oppression happen in secrecy. Our model prioritizes bearing witness to a system designed to strip people of voice, rights, and humanity. your pricing strategy.
SCS creates sacred community.
This work is emotionally and spiritually demanding, and we believe it is powerful to debrief experiences and process in community. We invite and encourage volunteers to gather every 1-2 weeks to debrief, reflect, and care for one another alongside our leadership team.
Our Broader Vision
While our primary focus is on systems of immigration here in NYC, we know that immigration courts do not exist in a vacuum. The same forces that displace, detain, and deport people in our city are tied to broader systems of violence, militarism, and state control. These systems are not new, but rooted in a long history of othering and exclusion, designed to divide communities and deny people their humanity.
We envision a world free from systems that oppress people because of who they are or where they are from. We know that building a more just and compassionate world sometimes means working across differences and organizing in community. No single person or group can do this work alone. We lean into partnership because creating a just future cannot happen in isolation.
As we continue to grow, we remain committed to honest reflection, faithful action, and the ongoing pursuit of learning, changing, and showing up in partnership.