Immigration

Arrey Obenson no longer leads the International Institute of St. Louis. The institute’s board of directors is searching for a new leader.

New refugee families are headed to St. Louis over the next few weeks. A local immigrant and refugee nonprofit is working with a national resettlement agency to help families get immediate housing, employment and other resources.

The number of Hispanics or Latinos in the St. Louis region has significantly increased over the past year, according to U.S. census data released last week. The data shows there are more than 13,900 Hispanics or Latinos in the area.

Documentation status, language barriers and lack of information can all create barriers for immigrants to access federal grants. Now a number of organizations are stepping in to provide direct support.

A Democrat on the committee says the move is election year posturing.

The International Institute of St. Louis desperately needs the community to provide monetary donations to bridge the funding gap in resettling new arrivals. Officials say that because of rising costs, federal funding isn’t enough.

With the election season quickly approaching, is there a different way that the country – political affiliations aside – can have the immigration conversation? Two UMSL immigration experts suggest centering empathy.

Katie McGrath founded Immigrant Song as a response to the increase in race-, culture- and religion-based domestic hate crimes in the U.S. since 2016.

Near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday, the Missouri governor and top general of the Missouri National Guard touted the bill, which funds the deployment for 200 troops and 22 highway patrol officers.

The last-minute inclusion, aimed at Kansas City, would force any city to repay all state funds, with interest, if it became a ‘sanctuary city’ for non-authorized immigrants.