Immigration Justice
Immigrants are vital members of our community, and contribute to Missouri in countless ways. Yet, immigrants of different statuses face unique challenges living in the region. While the federal government manages a nationwide refugee resettlement program, there has been a sustained need for additional pathways to support these vulnerable families, which has been exacerbated by recent policy changes. In 2025, undocumented immigrants, including those seeking asylum, have become targets for the most aggressive immigration enforcement efforts our state has ever seen. This year, the federal detention and deportation machine has received the most funding in US history, supplemented by state and local efforts that participate in the criminalization of immigration. In this context, immigrants living in Missouri have experienced increased trauma, fear, financial insecurity, discrimination, and social isolation.
Addressing systemic injustices related to migration in the US is long-term work that requires collaboration. The racist, anti-immigrant culture that shapes both federal and state government do not match the shared values and vision we have for our community. Through building interfaith teams that work directly with immigrant families, Ashrei is able to build relationships, foster stronger communities and increase awareness. Our Immigrant Justice programs include three volunteer-led efforts that engage a diverse volunteer base to support immigrants through refugee resettlement, financial assistance and access to information as part of regional immigration enforcement crisis response efforts.
St. Louis Rapid Response Coalition
Ashrei is active in the St. Louis Rapid Response Coalition, which formed in January 2025 to provide a coordinated community response to the increased immigration enforcement activity in our area. The Coalition is made up of non-profit organizations and advocates who engaged in a rigorous and thoughtful approach to educating the St. Louis Metropolitan of their rights before ICE while learning about ICE presence and tactics in the area. The Coalition stands ready to support families who have experienced the arrest of a loved one. In response to anti-immigrant legislation proposed at the federal and state level, the Coalition also aims to support immigrants who wish to report harassment, discrimination, and harm driven by anti-immigrant sentiments.
The Coalition worked hard to build swift capacity to meet community needs, which includes launching the Rapid Response Hotline, a volunteer-led phone line designed to support families in crisis. Hotline volunteers provide accompaniment through detention and deportation by explaining rights and processes, helping families locate detained loved ones, coordinating trained volunteer attorneys to provide free case reviews for detained immigrants, supporting families with the telecommunications systems at each jail, making referrals to additional resources/services, and more.
With the anticipated arrival of increased federal law enforcement officers like the National Guard, much of the regional rapid response coordination shifted to our partners at the MICA Project, who has been coordinating meetings and organizing throughout the bistate area to strengthen community defense networks. To ensure that all Coalition members could honor and sustain their capacity in light of this, the Coalition reorganized to integrate our efforts into those led by the staff of MICA. Because of this, Ashrei now serves as the administrative and infrastructural home for the Rapid Response Hotline.
The Rapid Response Hotline is staffed by volunteers from 7am-7pm, 7 days a week. Callers have the option to be transferred to a local partner that receives information about potential immigration enforcement activity in the region and dispatches teams of volunteers to verify any activity. Alternatively, callers can select an option to speak to a volunteer immediately. Our team of bilingual Hotline Operators field calls daily and activate additional hotline volunteer teams to respond to the caller’s specific needs; they calmly respond to community concerns and questions and ensure that community members have immediate support when they are personally impacted by immigration enforcement. Additional volunteer teams include: Attorneys on Call (AOCs), Detained Intake Volunteer Attorneys (DIVAs), Interpreters, Locator Support Team, Telecommunications Navigators, Impound Support, Passports for US Citizen Children & Powers of Attorney, and Outside Referral experts.
To learn more about this program and the Hotline, visit https://www.ashreifoundation.org/rapid-response
Immigrant Family Emergency Response (IFER) Fund
The Immigrant Family Emergency Response (IFER) Fund, a pooled fund created collaboratively by local foundations and nonprofit organizations, was opened in 2020 to address the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of funding available for immigrant families in the St. Louis region. The Fund has since evolved to address the financial impact of increased immigration enforcement on families living in our community. The IFER Fund helps families meet basic needs during a time of fear and uncertainty.
The IFER Fund was founded through the Immigrant Service Providers Network (ISPN), a network of more than 40 agencies, organizations, and individuals who are direct service providers and community advocates for immigrant communities in St. Louis; Ashrei is now a member of the ISPN. The ISPN increases collaboration by convening organizations and community members to educate and facilitate responsive collective impact in the St. Louis region. For more information about ISPN, ispnstl.org.
Ashrei’s Executive Director, Sara Ruiz, was part of the founding team for this effort and is honored to lead Ashrei to support the IFER Fund in its latest iteration. Ashrei will support the Fund by training and coordinating volunteers to deliver cash to funded applicants, in addition to serving on the Steering Committee that designs and manages this effort. YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis serves as the fund manager, supported by an Advisory Board of trusted community partners.
The 2020 Fund distributed $372,000 to 731 immigrant families to help with basic needs like housing, food security, childcare, and alleviating debt.
The Fund re-opened for applications in March 2025, and received nearly 1,000 applications for support in one week. The first distribution began later that month, distributing $100,000 in direct cash assistance to 200 families. After several additional disbursements, and in order to keep our community safe, the Fund again re-opened for applications in July 2025. During this cycle, the Fund received nearly 1,500 applications. Of those, 1 in 5 reported having a loved one in immigrant detention in the last 6 months. To date, the IFER Fund has redistributed over $465,000 to 935 immigrant families in the bi-state region.
For details about the Fund, including instructions for how to apply, frequently asked questions and to sign up for updates about the IFER Fund, please visit: ashreifoundation.org/iferfund-info.
If you are a community member interested in volunteering, please complete the self guided training module here and email info@ashreifoundation.org for next steps.
Refugee Resettlement Project
With guidance from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the women-led all-volunteer team works to welcome refugee families and supports them building a new life in St. Louis. Learn about and support this project on our Refugee Resettlement Project Page.
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