The Realities of Immigration Enforcement: An Interactive Discussion for St. Louis Funders

March 6, 2026 4:15 PM - 6:15 PM (CST)

Description

What does the intersection of immigration enforcement and access to identifying documents (ID) mean for housing, banking, education, and employment in Metro St. Louis? 

What can we learn from national trends — and what is already in-motion here?

Where is there space for grantmakers to engage?

Join PhilMO for a powerful after-hours experience to explore the realities of immigration enforcement in 2026 with Dr. Austin Kocher. Dr. Kocher is a nationally respected immigration data scholar whose research is widely used in government and university settings. 

In partnership with Asheri Foundation, Dr. Kocher will be hosting a weekend of talks, workshops, and community conversations across the community as the guest expert for Foundations of Justice, taking place March 5-8, 2026, in St. Louis. While we hope PhilMO Members and non-Member grantmakers will join us for this exclusive time with Dr. Kocher and Sara Ruiz Friday evening, we encourage you to also consider these dynamic public-facing programs. Details and registration can be found on Event Calendar — Ashrei Foundation, with most events being open to the community.

AGenda

4:15-4:45 PM: Community-Building Social & Networking

Arrive as your schedule permits to (re)connect with grantmaking peers over light refreshments, including wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and tasty snacks

4:45-5:45 PM: Introductions & Interactive Funder-Driven Discussion

Dr. Kocher, Sara Ruiz, and other local leaders will address how immigration enforcement and access to identifying documents affect housing, banking, education, and employment. This is not a formal presentation but rather an interaction discussion where grantmakers have the opportunity to both listen, pose questions, and even share their own work. 

5:45-6:15 PM: Community-Building Social & Networking 

Before you depart, optionally take time for another snack or beverage with colleagues

Key takeaways

✅Provide space for St. Louis-based PhilMO Members and select non-Member Missouri funders to (re)connect in-person

✅Build upon the recent PhilMO program, Responding to Federal Enforcement Surges, to enhance funder understanding of national and local immigration enforcement efforts and intersectional concerns related to housing, banking, education, and employment

✅Introduce key efforts, local needs, and Metro St. Louis leaders

Guest SPEAKERS

Austin Kocher, PhD

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Austin Kocher is a research assistant professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. 

As a political and legal geographer, Kocher’s research focuses on the politics and policies of the U.S. immigration and refugee system, including the geographies of federal, state, and local immigrant policing; immigrant detention and deportation; and the role of immigration in accelerating political polarization. This work is grounded in over a decade of qualitative and quantitative research on immigration and border enforcement across the country, including the U.S. South, the Midwest and the U.S.-Mexico border region. Kocher’s work also seeks to inform the national discourse on immigration through public scholarship, engagement with policy makers and the media, and working with non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area.

He also has a faculty appointment in Syracuse University’s Department of Geography, an affiliated expert at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship, and he is a research fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) at American University. Kocher completed his Ph.D. in geography at the Ohio State University. He has taught courses in immigration and geography at George Washington University, Syracuse University, and University of Michigan.

Sara Ruiz

Ashrei Foundation

Executive Director

Sara Ruiz (she/her) joined the Ashrei Foundation as the inaugural Executive Director in May 2022. Prior to that, Sara served as the Executive Director of the St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America for 6 years, where she was deeply involved in local and nationwide sanctuary efforts, community organizing and advocacy for immigrant rights. 

Sara was born and raised in St. Louis, and received a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and International Studies from Saint Louis University. She also studied at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies with an emphasis on the US-Mexico Border. Sara's graduate research centered on migrants that disappear on their journey to the US. She has lived in and traveled throughout Southern Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish. Sara has a robust professional background working for equity and justice. She currently lives in South St. Louis City with her husband, Carlos, and her son, Alexander.

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