A new database created by a coalition of local nonprofits is tracking federal immigration enforcement action in the St. Louis region and eastern Missouri.
"Public understanding of immigration enforcement is often limited by a lack of accessible, localized data," said Sara Ruiz, executive director of the Ashrei Foundation. The nonprofit also runs the Rapid Response Hotline. "This dashboard allows us to share what we're learning while protecting confidentiality and centering the humanity of those most impacted."
The Eastern Missouri Immigration Enforcement Dashboard — developed with help from Abide in Love, Coro Fellow Aubrey Lay and immigration researcher Austin Kocher — includes both visualizations of cumulative data and monthly reports. The cumulative dashboard provides a broader view of enforcement trends over time, while monthly reports offer a closer look at local developments and emerging patterns.
Users can also explore information on detention locations, pathways into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, geographic trends and other indicators that help illuminate the immigration enforcement landscape in Missouri.
Ruiz said the organization found a lack of reliable data about what volunteers were seeing during President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operations. Researchers have echoed the sentiment and pointed to the challenges in analyzing the sparse and rapidly changing information released by the Department of Homeland Security.
"I think one of the things that feels most surprising to me has been the sort of difficulty of accessing information, the lack of transparency in how immigration enforcement is happening and who's involved," said Ruiz. "There's something validating about seeing the truths that we know and have been existing in."
Among the organization's findings: The hotline received nearly 8,000 calls since July 2025, there are more than 50 countries of origin represented in immigrant detention in Missouri, and the vast majority of ICE arrests logged have stemmed from local traffic stops.
While Ruiz contends that the data they've compiled only provides part of the bigger picture, she hopes it is used as a launching point for conversation and advocacy.
"Behind every number is a person who is loved and valued by their family and community," said Ruiz. "The data helps us identify trends and ask important questions, but it cannot fully capture the emotional, financial, and social impacts that detention, deportation and family separation create."
The Ashrei Foundation and Kocher are hosting a webinar breaking down the findings and the dashboard from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Friday. You can register here.
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