Inside IMIrJ’s Accompaniment Work: “The Only Thing You Owe Me Is a Hug”

I have served as an IMIrJ Accompanier since July of 2023.  Accompaniers support migrant community members who are forced to navigate the United States’ overly complicated asylum-seeking process.  If the undocumented make one false move, say a missed appointment, they face deportation.

Accompaniment support may involve annotating courtroom proceedings, helping complete English-only forms, providing transportation, or, worst case, initiating rapid response procedures to prevent immediate detention.  It’s a lot of responsibility, but the payoff is that our help can make a real difference in the lives of our immigrant community. 

It’s a privilege to hear their stories, if offered, of perseverance as we do our best to calm nerves awaiting ICE appointment outcomes and judicial decisions.  After favorable court decisions, the payoff is heartfelt celebration and a deep sense of shared community.   After one recent Immigration Court accompaniment that resulted in favorable outcomes for a Guatemalan mother and her three children, the Mother mistakenly thought payment was required and asked me, “What do I owe you?”.  I responded, “the only thing you owe me is a hug”.  These tearful reactions from our community members are how we Accompaniers get paid in full.

Many of those we accompany are indigenous, in part or whole. The author Karla Cornejo Villavincencio asks, “should borders exist at all?  Shouldn’t people have a human right to move if they experience hunger, poverty, or violence especially if the climate in their native country is created by the United States?”

IMIrJ’s Accompaniment Program leadership offers Spanish-speaking volunteers planned, purposeful, compassionate activism in an ever-changing political landscape.  The program, unfortunately, is struggling to raise the funds it needs to continue providing this essential form of deportation defense. It needs your support to survive! Please consider going on the IMIrJ website to donate or coordinate a fundraiser within your own community!

Tim Gourley (IMIrJ Accompanier)