St. Louis Leaders Unite in Support of Immigrants

Nearly 100 community leaders gathered on January 15, 2025, to express their unwavering support for immigrants in the St. Louis region. Organized by the Immigrant Service Provider Network (ISPN), the event featured speakers from a diverse array of organizations, including including St. Louis Mosaic Project, Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis, Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater Saint Louis, Little Angels Foundation, Casa de Salud, LifeWise StL, as well as the Ashrei Foundation.

The gathering emphasized the critical role immigrants play in enriching the cultural and economic fabric of St. Louis. Sarah Caldera Wimmer of ISPN highlighted the challenges immigrants face amid rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, stressing the need to ensure that St. Louis remains a welcoming place for all. Ben Molina of the Hispanic Leaders Group added, “Each immigrant enriches our nation with unique perspectives, skills, and cultures, making us stronger together.”

Leaders across sectors shared personal and organizational commitments to serving immigrant communities. Blake Hamilton of the International Institute underscored the long-term benefits of providing essential resources to new arrivals, while Rabbi Susan Talve called on faith leaders to recognize the humanity in every neighbor.

The event also showcased the economic contributions of immigrants, with Suzanne Sierra of the St. Louis Mosaic Project noting that immigrants generate over $2 billion in annual spending power and account for nearly 20% of entrepreneurship in the region.

The event concluded with a powerful moment of solidarity as nearly 100 attendees stood shoulder to shoulder, reaffirming their dedication to supporting immigrant communities. Their message was clear: When immigrants succeed, St. Louis thrives.

This gathering serves as a reminder of the strength in unity and the vital importance of inclusivity in building a vibrant and prosperous future for all.

Read the full press release here.

Ashrei Foundation founder, Rabbi Susan Talve’s full testimony on behalf of our organization:

Good morning. I am Rabbi Susan Talve and I am the founder of Central Reform Congregation and the Ashrei Foundation. I am grateful to have served this community and the State of Missouri  for over 40 years and I am grateful to be here today to stand in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee communities and in collaboration with so many faith and caring organizations and people of our regions and state who value the presence of refugees and immigrants in our lives, in our businesses and  in our hearts making the very fabric of our community better and richer in every way.   As a member of the clergy, my work has been to minister to the needs of people in times of sorrow and in times of joy and to bridge the divides that allow for the demonization of people who may look and sound different. Our purpose here as human beings is to  see the value in all human life and to treat all people with dignity and respect, all of us, we believe, made  in the image of God.  

I have spent my entire career fighting the damage that profiling and prejudice  does to families, communities and to our collective soul.  This is personal for me and for most of us.  All four of my grandparents  were immigrants escaping religious persecution who had to fight for legal status when quotas made it difficult. I know that the overwhelming majority of immigrants - including those who are a valued  part of our community despite the government’s repeated efforts to deny them an opportunity to seek lawful status, criminalize migration, make unethical exclusions based on country of origin, and demonize the differences that make us beautiful are hardworking people who we count on not only for many, many essential services but for enriching our faith communities and societal wholeness. Despite how immigrants are frequently wrongfully portrayed, I know that immigrants are good people like my grandparents, who are productive members of our communities who have escaped war and famine and political unrest to save their families and build a better future as they add to our promise to welcome the stranger.

The Ashrei Foundation proudly stands with the Immigrant Service Providers Network and all of our partners, including those who weren’t able to be here today, and shares our commitment to collaboration and interfaith action that promotes equity and inclusion for all.   We will not stand for anything less and we will work to make it easier not harder to become citizens so no one will have to live in fear, not here, not anywhere.

Every faith community knows that the soul of our community is bound up with how we welcome the stranger. Now is the time,especially now in this political climate,  to see the holiness in everyone and work together to ensure that all people, including undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and all people searching for health and happiness, are welcome here.

The Ashrei Foundation is committed to being a leader in interfaith resistance and support for immigrant families in our region.