BROWN: In today's "American Journey," one city's plan to try to attract more immigrants. St. Louis has far fewer immigrants than any other U.S. city of its size, but a program called the Mosaic Project is trying to change that. Tom Foreman reports.</s>TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Frozen yogurt is a hot commodity amid the summer heat of St. Louis. And nobody is happier about that than Jason Jan. When he came from Malaysia 15 years ago, he hoped to open a business, and now he has a string of places like this. And nothing but praise for his adopted home.</s>JASON JAN, BUSINESS OWNER: Great city to raise my kids. And most importantly, has been very immigrant-friendly.</s>FOREMAN: That is a message local leaders are desperate to get out ever since a study found this area lags far behind other cities in attracting immigrants. The nonprofit International Institute here serves 7,000 a year, but that's half as many as expected in a town this size. The institute is now a key component in the Mosaic Project, an ambitious plan to make this area much more inviting to immigrants.</s>CHARLIE DOOLEY, ST. LOUIS COUNTY EXECUTIVE: St. Louis wants to be an open and welcoming community, and that's what we are going to do.</s>FOREMAN: So the city is helping immigrant groups connect with loans, opportunities, education. This is not just a feel-good measure. A study found immigrants are more likely to open businesses, create jobs, raise wages, and pursue higher degrees than the general population. As for Jason Jan, well, the jobs he's created may be permanent. He's applied to become a U.S. citizen. Tom Foreman, CNN, St. Louis.</s>BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown at the Time Warner Center in New York filling in for Don Lemon. Thank you so much for keeping us company on this Sunday. Anderson Cooper's special report, "Kidnapped: The Rescue of Hannah Anderson," is next.
St. Louis Attempts to Attract More Immigrants