From Data to Action: Insights from the Hotline

On Thursday, May 14th, Ashrei welcomed community members, advocates, volunteers, and partners for an Ashrei Insights webinar exploring what we are learning through Ashrei’s Rapid Response Hotline Data Project and how those insights can strengthen immigrant justice work across our region.

The conversation featured UMSL Coro Fellow Aubrey Lay, who has spent six weeks analyzing Hotline partner data alongside national immigration enforcement trends to better understand the scope and impact of the project’s work. Ashrei Executive Director Sara Ruiz joined Aubrey in conversation to provide additional context on how this research is shaping organizational strategy, advocacy priorities, and community response efforts.

Watch the webinar recording here:

View the presentation slides here:

Throughout the webinar, Aubrey shared preliminary findings that highlighted emerging patterns in immigration enforcement locally as well as broader trends in detention and community response across the region. The presentation also offered a closer look at the Coro Fellowship’s plan of work and how this research helped Ashrei build a more data-centered approach to Rapid Response Hotline operations.

This Coro Fellowship placement was made possible through a shared partnership with the MICA Project and Abide in Love. We are deeply grateful for their collaboration and support in making this work possible!

A major theme of the conversation was the importance of making data more accessible and actionable for community partners. Looking ahead, Ashrei will provide a monthly, public-facing digital dashboard that can help advocates, volunteers, and partner organizations better understand emerging needs, identify trends, and strengthen coordinated response efforts.

As enforcement patterns continue to shift, building systems that combine community knowledge with accessible data will remain critical to protecting and supporting our neighbors.