Church sheltering migrants faces battle with city officials

In a humble church in a working-class community in the city of Bell, over a dozen asylum seekers and immigrants find refuge from a system that has all but left them behind.

They’ve been recently released from immigration detention at Adelanto ICE Processing Center after being granted asylum. These individuals have been given sanctuary by Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church led by Pastora Montalvo Elena Montalvo. 

However, city officials are demanding that the church vacate these individuals and have given the church citations for unusual reasons, such as having their gardening equipment in the front yard for more than 72 hours, stated one of the tickets. The city ordered the church to pay $100 for the violation.

The church received a handful of “fix it” tickets dating back to last year. Church administrators consider this a harassment tactic to drain their bank accounts. 

Officials from the city of Bell’s Code Enforcement Department have continued to patrol the neighborhood, looking for reasons to send a letter of notice for a violation. “They drive by and take pictures regularly,” said Pastora Montalvo.

“How can you look into the eyes of people who have gone through so much to come here, the trauma, the hunger, and pain, and tell them to go sleep in the streets,” said Pastora Montalvo.

This small but dedicated church has come to embody the immigrant rights movement. The church began sheltering recently released asylum seekers for nearly a decade by working with immigrant rights groups like the “African Communities Public Health Coalition” and “Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE).” ICE released the asylum seekers with little to no support. These individuals, from countries such as Mauritania, Senegal, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Mexico, often arrive with no family, resources, or means to secure safe housing and a stable job to start a new life in the U.S.

Pastora Montalvo, who leads the church, expresses, “Where are they going to go? They come from nothing. They migrated here from Africa and lived through the grueling system of our immigration detention centers, and now they want them out in the street? As people of faith, we saw it as our duty to help. We could not simply turn them away.” 

The citations the church receives argue that the church’s actions violate local zoning laws and safety codes. “The code enforcement department appears to be targeting the church, even misleading a fire inspector in its efforts to issue a violation,” said Guillermo Torres, a pastor and organizer with CLUE. “The fire inspector confirmed that he had no issue with migrants staying at the church. California is a sanctuary state, and the city of Bell should be standing with other cities that support the humane treatment of migrants,” Torres added.

City documents reviewed by Caló News reveal complaints about overcrowding and allegations that the church is not meeting residential code requirements. In response, the city has issued multiple notices ordering the church to vacate the individuals for “code violations.”  

For the asylum seekers and undocumented folks, the church is a lifeline. The majority of the people fled violence in their home country, searching for safety in the U.S. For folks who come from Africa, they have the assistance of the African Coalition, which provides mental health services, legal support to help them through their immigration proceedings, and work permits.

“We (African Coalition) take care of those coming from Africa, the African diaspora that has left their homeland for whatever reason,” said Alpha Gee Timbo, the Clinical Director of the African Coalition. “We provide mental health services, legal services to handle their asylum case, and work permits so they can get on their feet and start a new life here,” Timbo added.

Community protects immigrants from city officials

Pastora Montalvo and Timbo from the African Communities Public Health Coalition protect asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants and have inspired the community to do the same.

“We’ve received donations from the community with food distribution and clothes,” said Montalvo.

At one point, the church was housing over twenty individuals from West Africa, and today, there are fifteen left. “We’ve helped the others find work with their work permits and secure housing so that they can start a new life here. The ones still here have difficulty doing the same, but we are trying every day, and they are good people. They’ve done nothing wrong,” said Timbo. 

The church has long been a place of refuge for immigrants. With recent changes in immigration enforcement and political climate targeting those seeking refuge in the U.S., racism has shown its ugly head and played a role in recent years. “In the past, we never had issues with the city when the people living here were all from Latin America,” said Pastora Montalvo. “We started having issues when I started housing Black people. That is when the citations started coming in.”

While providing solace and safety, Pastora Montalvo has organized events like bible study for everyone and games for the kids to keep them entertained. The church is deeply rooted in the principles of compassion and social justice. They aim to protect them and give them something to live for while they find sustainable work to get on their own feet. 

“Bell should be proud to support a congregation that is saving lives and providing dignity to vulnerable populations rather than pushing them back into harm’s way,” said Torres. 

Standing up for immigrants

Every day, Montalvo looks out the window and scans the streets to see if a code enforcement officer is making their rounds. Despite the daily looming threat, she remains defiant. “Our love for the people and our faith compels us to act. We will stand by these individuals for as long as we can,” said María as she displayed pictures of the recent bible study event.

“Turning them away would go against everything we believe,” expressed Pastora Montalvo.

The church's ongoing example of humanity raises challenging questions about the sanctuary's limits, the role of faith-based communities, and the responsibilities of local government toward vulnerable populations. In addition, it exposes a hole in the immigration process where individuals are granted asylum in a sanctuary state. Yet, local government officials give violation tickets to those helping and placing these individuals in a precarious situation. 

As the church and the city prepare for what could be a protracted battle, the fate of these asylum seekers and the principle of sanctuary hangs in the balance. 

“The city and the state complain that there is a homeless crisis, and yet they harass the people providing housing for the most vulnerable in our society,” said Pastora Montalvo.