Francisco Mayorga, a Nicaraguan immigrant, attended the vigil.
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Draped in the Nicaraguan flag, Mayorga questioned the timing of President Donald Trump's attacks on the migrant caravan, calling it a political stunt.
And across town at the YWCA Gala, labor leader Dolores Huerta echoed a similar message.
"A lot of the things that he says, he can't carry out, and so people have to take that into perspective and know that he's desperate right now to get people to vote for him before the election," Huerta said. "It's shameful, and it's also sad."
The interfaith vigil downtown was meant to tell asylum seekers and refugees that they are welcome.
Earlier Thursday, Trump suggested U.S. troops could use force against the migrants.
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"They're throwing rocks viciously and violently. You saw that three days ago, really hurting the military," Trump said. "We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them consider it a rifle."
At the vigil, Nancy Berlin said what concerns her the most is Trump's invitation to hurt others.
"It's just spreading more hate," Berlin said. "Maybe we could see a way toward helping them rather than hurting them."
For Mayorga, he believes there is hope for the migrants.
"There's someone waiting for them," Mayorga said. "They're not alone."