amparar

To shelter, protect, or support someone, especially against harm, injustice, or need — la ley ampara a los ciudadanos. The reflexive ampararse en means to invoke something (a law, a right, a circumstance) as protection or justification for one's actions.

• La ley ampara los derechos de los trabajadores. — The law protects workers' rights.
• Se amparó en su inocencia para pedir la libertad. — He invoked his innocence to request his release.
• La organización ampara a familias sin recursos. — The organization supports families without resources.

Confusing amparar with amueblar or emparejar due to sound — amparar is strictly about protection or legal shelter, unrelated to furnishing or pairing.

Often confused with proteger.

• politics "Recurso de amparo" / "juicio de amparo" — A core institution of Mexican and Spanish constitutional law: a legal action citizens file to seek protection when a government act violates their fundamental rights. In Mexico it's grounded in Article 103 of the Constitution and remains one of the most cited legal mechanisms in the country.