This is an excellent detailed tool that explains legal immigration pathways under current US law. This document would be great as a tool to walk an adult-ed group through the numerous categories and numerical caps.

Use this for the civil-versus-criminal distinction, which almost no one in your pews understands and which changes the whole conversation.

A free written primer from a trusted St. Louis leader, the MICA Project. This page explains basic immigration terms and concepts including green cards, visas, DACA, asylum, refugee status, TPS, and who USCIS, DHS, ICE and CBP actually are.

Check out the Missouri profile for local numbers. Note: this and other “snapshot” data tools must be understood in a wider context and seldom stand alone. If you need help interpreting the data, please contact Ashrei.

A primer on immigrant detention, with national figures updated regularly. This offers a helpful analysis at the intersections of mass incarceration, the prison industrial complex, and immigration enforcement in the US.

This multi-part series from the Detention Watch Network provides a recent analysis of how detention is growing; available in English and Spanish. There is a companion 2026 piece on the expansion of inter-governmental service agreements (IGSAs) — the exact tool Missouri’s county jails use to detain immigrants for ICE.

Downloadable annual fact sheets. Get the Missouri one.

This is one of the most reliable primary data sources in the US, which includes data on the immigration court backlog and more. Note: use caution when analysing raw data to avoid a common pitfall of misunderstanding, misrepresenting and misleading your community. If you need assistance, please contact Ashrei.

From the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, this page provides useful information about 287(g) agreements – an enforcement tactic widely used in the St. Louis region. Check the local resources page in this Toolbox for more specific information..

This insightful blog post from Arch City Defenders in St. Louis outlines ways that local police and ICE operate with similar patterns of harm.

While not written from a particular faith perspective nor designed specifically for a faith-based audience, this local resource provides an excellent framework for an adult education group to build and self-navigate through important concepts..

The closest thing to a drop-in Bible study on immigration, and it travels well across denominations.

Free, no registration. Explicitly evangelical framing — excellent for a Christian congregation, but would need some modifications for an interfaith room or other traditions.

February 2026. Solid study guide.

Pick three or four by age for the religious school library; read one aloud in a children’s sermon.

Ten titles, ideal for a congregational book group. Note: some of these titles go beyond the topic of migration in the US and look globally.

Two complete free curricula, four sessions each plus a family night, with a built-in service project. Organized by age range.

From the national organization United We Dream, this guide was written for schools, and transfers directly to religious school teachers/educators.

A congregation-written handout; an excellent template for how to speak truthfully to children about immigration and deportation.

Register once, then screen from the library with ready-made guides.

Hosted by Maria Hinojosa. Assign an episode as pre-work before a discussion session.

While not a new film, the messaging remains important, true and powerful. This was a first-of-its kind documentary where filmmaker and journalist Pedro Ultreras traveled with migrants from Guatemala, through Mexico, and into the US, documenting their journeys and offering an incredibly intimate perspective on undocumented migration. Note: you may need to contact the producer for screening rights.

Read this first. Five practical tips.

The closest thing to a consent-and-safety protocol for sharing an undocumented person’s story without exposing them.

This “think piece” from the Frameworks Institute offers concrete guidance on how to shift our language when talking about immigration, including when and how we incorporate or invite immigrant stories into a predominately ally space.

Hand these to a congregant before a reporter shows up at your vigil.

One of your best local options. MICA staff can offer Know Your Rights presentations and power-of-attorney workshops, among others. Call 314-995-6995 or use the request form.

Nine named speakers including Matthew Soerens. One to two weeks’ lead time; fees not published.

For interfaith and Muslim-tradition speakers.

One-hour live online training offered by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, multiple dates/times remaining in 2026..