Faith leaders in Southern California have been actively supporting immigrant communities amid increased immigration arrests and raids.

Many pastors and people of faith have been attending immigration court hearings, offering comfort, holding prayer vigils and accompanying refugees and asylum-seekers to their court hearings.

Churches and nonprofits have are also delivering groceries, food and medicine to those afraid to leave their homes for fear of being arrested.

Over the past two months, the Rev. Oona Casanova Vazquez has spent her Thursdays alongside other faith leaders and church volunteers, observing court proceedings, distributing informational leaflets and accompanying some to their hearings.

"I feel called to do this. There's not a lot of people out there who could do this, I think, because it is one of those things that just is very dark and it is very sad and it is depressing and it's very traumatizing," the lead pastor of the South Bay Church of the Nazarene in Torrance said.

At Our Lady of Soledad Catholic Church in the Coachella Valley, about 7,000 gather for Mass every weekend. The Rev. Francisco Gomez says their parish has been holding information assemblies for the community about their rights.

This congregation is under the Diocese of San Bernardino. Its bishop, Alberto Rojas, issued a dispensation to parishioners from their weekly obligation to attend Mass after immigration detentions on two parish properties within the diocese.

Some congregations are also providing rent assistance to individuals who have lost or quit their jobs out of fear of being apprehended. Others are streaming live services so those who are apprehensive will not be isolated from their congregations.