For one night, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Refugee Coalition turned inspirational immigrant stories into a musical journey to bring awareness of the current migrant crisis.
Chelsea VerstegenApril 1, 2024
The avant-garde theatre has spent 30 years showcasing international productions that otherwise might not be seen in the U.S. Founder Beata Pilch tells Borderless why.
Chelsea VerstegenOctober 24, 2023
The 12-foot-tall puppet tells the story of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee separated from her family.
Diane Bou KhalilOctober 6, 2023
D’Cameron May stepped onto the drag stage four years ago. Now, they have a home among Chicago’s queer immigrant scene.
Katrina PhamSeptember 19, 2023
Despite lukewarm feelings about the genre as a child, Mariachi Sirenas cofounder Ibet Herrera helped form Chicago’s first all-women mariachi band. The group has fostered a sisterhood of talented musicians while honoring their roots.
Maia McDonaldAugust 22, 2023
After fleeing the Taliban, a group of Afghans in Chicago have found each other – and strength – through playing soccer.
Saleha SoadatJuly 18, 2023
Organizers say the event was a first for the institute, but hope it will promote more inclusivity while celebrating Desi queer stories and creativity.
Efrain SorianoJuly 3, 2023
The best-selling Chilean author talks about her new book and the importance of telling immigration stories.
Claudia HernándezJune 23, 2023
The Palestinian-Jordanian hip-hop artist talks about identity as inspiration, his growth since his debut album and what’s next.
Diane Bou KhalilApril 6, 2023
Chicago author Vaishnavi Patel on her debut novel “Kaikeyi,” her Hindu identity and publishers pulling her book in India.
Mrinali DhemblaMarch 8, 2023
The Mural Movement started as a beautification project but has grown to provide solace and support for community members — generational or recently arrived.
Martha ContrerasFebruary 9, 2023
Poet Javier Zamora took a three-thousand mile journey from El Salvador to the United States as a boy to reunite with his parents.
Borderless Magazine StaffNovember 3, 2022
Arizona artist Alvaro Enciso has spent years of his life leaving crosses in the desert for migrants who died while traveling to the United States.
Max HermanOctober 27, 2022
The DePaul University professor and daughter of Mexican immigrants talks about mental health and healing through writing.
Jillian MeleroOctober 6, 2022
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer” will receive an award from the American Writers Museum in Chicago this month.
Diane Bou KhalilAugust 30, 2022
In his new book, Reece Jones traces the Border Patrol’s growth into a militarized force that operates in large swaths of the United States.
Borderless Magazine StaffAugust 10, 2022
Refugees from over 15 countries played in a soccer tournament at World Refugee Day Chicago.
Youcef O. BounabJune 23, 2022
As misinformation about natural cures soars during the pandemic, trained herbalists in Chicago are educating vulnerable immigrant communities.
Leslie HurtadoApril 6, 2022
Amanda Cervantes and Jose Luis Benavides look at how far the queer Latinx community has come in their work with Chicago’s Gerber/Hart archives.
Ariel MejiaMarch 16, 2022
The monthly discussion group Amigas Latinas provided a safe space in Chicago for Latina lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women.
Ariel MejiaMarch 9, 2022
The Chicago-based artist on growing up in Iraq during the war and how his paintings endangered his life — and led to international acclaim.
Diane Bou KhalilFebruary 2, 2022
A new book by Reece Jones chronicles the aftermath of Trump’s ban on nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Borderless Magazine StaffJanuary 25, 2022
Ahead of his new exhibition in Milwaukee, the Chicago-based artist talks about his work and the radical democracy of printmaking.
Kerry CardozaDecember 8, 2021
The Chicago artists and educators behind the “small is all" program talk about what grounds them in the city.
Nissa RheeDecember 1, 2021
After crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum, Susana Coreas is navigating life in New York City and building community along the way.
Claudia HernándezOctober 21, 2021
Different artists have painted a series of murals on doors along 18th Street, inspired by the classic Lotería game.
Maggie SivitOctober 19, 2021
Amid multiple crises in her native Lebanon, Siham Ibrahim is preserving Lebanese heritage in Chicago and helping people back home.
Diane Bou KhalilOctober 7, 2021
North Korea-born Thomas Kong immigrated to the U.S. for opportunity. Now, he has a distinct profession: convenience store owner and artist.
Claire VoonSeptember 29, 2021
The developer who ordered the eviction will demolish the Little Village building that housed the community space La Casa del Inmigrante.
Alexandra ArriagaSeptember 16, 2021
Latinx business owners worry about the fate of their stores at the iconic Discount Mall in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
Adriana RezalSeptember 14, 2021
Craving Ethiopian, Egyptian, Ghanaian or Somali food? We’ve got you covered with our exhaustive list of Chicago’s must-try African restaurants.
Diane Bou KhalilAugust 18, 2021
Music in the park, a seafood boil, public art and more ideas of things to do in Chicago
Borderless Magazine StaffAugust 12, 2021
Live Latinx music, a book release and more ideas of things to do in Chicago
Borderless Magazine StaffAugust 5, 2021
On the heels of a new series of music videos, Mexican-American artist Gabacho reflects on his creative path.
Alexandra ArriagaApril 15, 2021
After volunteering at refugee camps in Greece, human rights lawyer Alexandra Tarzikhan created a virtual community to amplify the individual stories of refugees.
Diane Bou KhalilMarch 24, 2021
Local author Jacqueline Saper was a young woman during the 1979 Iranian revolution and sought asylum in the United States.
Diane Bou KhalilMarch 3, 2021
In the midst of a housing crisis that has left immigrant renters among the most vulnerable, a group of immigrant punk rock musicians are fighting to stay at a commercial building they’ve called home for years.
Alexandra ArriagaFebruary 24, 2021
At the DePaul Art Museum, a major intergenerational art show celebrates the contributions of Latinx artists with ties to Chicago.
Claire VoonFebruary 18, 2021
Watch the director and cast of Code-Switched discuss their hit indie show about five South Asian friends in an exclusive event.
Diane Bou KhalilFebruary 16, 2021
Farm, Food, Familias partners with diverse chefs to bring dishes with cultural specificity to Black and Latinx communities in need.
Chelsea VerstegenFebruary 10, 2021
Borderless Magazine's most popular stories of 2020 include immigration stories about labor, racism, and the COVID-19 pandemic in the Midwest.
Borderless Magazine StaffDecember 29, 2020
The local mom’s group gave out over $50,000 in mutual aid assistance to Chicago families who were unable to get the COVID-19 federal stimulus check.
Amaris E. RodriguezDecember 10, 2020
More people have moved from the U.S. to Mexico in recent years than the other way around, further blending cultures and communities in the neighboring countries.
Ellen FreemanNovember 19, 2020
The new sitcom follows five South Asian friends juggling love, work and family in Chicago.
Diane Bou KhalilNovember 13, 2020
This year’s census and election pushed Kartik Ramkumar to rethink how he describes his heritage and homeland.
Kartik RamkumarOctober 27, 2020
Chicago chefs Rafael Esparza and Mitchell AbouJamra drew on family recipes to create Evette’s, a new restaurant that highlights Lebanese immigrants’ contributions to Mexican cuisine.
Diane Bou KhalilOctober 15, 2020
Guatemalan immigrant storyteller Nestor Gomez shares his experiences as an Uber and Lyft driver in his new book, “Your Driver Has Arrived.”
Diane Bou KhalilOctober 5, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and pricey new water permits have challenged the eight-year-old Global Garden Refugee Training Farm on Chicago’s North Side.
Chelsea VerstegenSeptember 3, 2020
The restaurants are offering “World Food Tour” meal packages showcasing Vietnamese and Ethiopian cuisine.
Cassidy JacksonSeptember 1, 2020
The 37-year-old artist explains the power of art in the migrant movement and why he’s always laughing.
Francisco VelazquezAugust 19, 2020
Madison’s Finca Coffee celebrates its first anniversary with authentic pupusas and coffee beans bought directly from farmers in El Salvador.
Francisco VelazquezJuly 16, 2020
After closing for over two months during the COVID-19 pandemic, an Uptown cafe that blends Vietnamese and Western tastes reopens its doors.
Michelle KanaarJune 24, 2020
The Assyrian Knights have delivered care packages to 187 Assyrian families in the Chicago area since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Ata YounanMay 28, 2020
Coronavirus has devastated Latino communities in Illinois. But in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, one family is working and hoping for a better tomorrow.
Fernando MorenoMay 20, 2020
Author Daniel Denvir on the “bipartisan war on immigrants” and how it’s falling apart.
Nissa RheeApril 8, 2020
Wear the Peace combines heritage, activism, and giving back to support those in need in the Middle East and beyond.
Diane Bou KhalilApril 1, 2020
Nestor Gomez’s storytelling showcase 80 Minutes Around the World focuses on the personal in a time of competing narratives about immigration.
Nissa RheeJanuary 22, 2020
After coming to the United States, the Jeftenic family faced layoffs, illness, and homelessness before opening the Astoria Bakery and Cafe.
Michelle KanaarJanuary 15, 2020
With the United States and Iran trading attacks, Chicagoans should take this as an opportunity to learn more about Iranian history and art, says Narimon Safavi.
Sarah ConwayJanuary 8, 2020
Executive director Nissa Rhee shares some of her favorite stories of the year.
Nissa RheeDecember 31, 2019
A special excerpt from César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández's forthcoming book "Migrating to Prison: America’s Obsession with Locking Up Immigrants"
César Cuauhtémoc García HernándezNovember 27, 2019
After fleeing war, many refugees who come to Chicago face new traumas in a city that had nearly 3,000 shooting victims last year. But the health services that once existed to support them are now being gutted.
Nissa RheeNovember 20, 2019
Now it it’s 22nd year, the march is a celebration of dyke, queer, bisexual, transgender, and lesbian resilience.
Dan RowellJune 26, 2018
Forty people braved a snowstorm on Monday, February 5, to attend Borderless’ night of immigrant stories at the Oak Park Public Library.
Nissa RheeMarch 1, 2018
Just 11 months apart in age, brothers Mufaddal and Abdulghany Hamadeh have shared almost everything in their lives — including their love of the two countries they call home.
Nissa RheeOctober 25, 2017
Omar El Akkad’s debut novel, “American War,” is a haunting post-apocalyptic universe where readers watch the impact of civil war through the unraveling of one American family.
Sarah ConwayOctober 17, 2017
A year after the Syrian uprising began, Northwestern University professor Wendy Pearlman headed to Jordan to collect the stories of Syrian refugees who were pouring out of their war-torn country.
Sarah ConwayOctober 5, 2017
Watan Studio is Chicagoland’s only distinctively Palestinian art and design studio.
Sarah ConwayJune 13, 2017
Women’s March Illinois organizers hosted a candlelight vigil in downtown Chicago on April 13 to show solidarity with Syrians who have been displaced or suffered because of the civil war in that country.
Alex V. HernandezApril 18, 2017
Borderless teamed up with The Point magazine on March 14 for a special panel discussion about immigration.
Sarah ConwayMarch 21, 2017
The protest was organized by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network as a place to hear the “voices, stories and creative brilliance” of communities most at-risk under the Trump administration.
Leo HerreraMarch 8, 2017
Masjid al-Rabia mosque held its first service less than a month after the election of President Trump and has found itself the target of both anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT groups.
Nissa RheeMarch 2, 2017
Nasir Bin Zakaria was just 14 years old when he was abducted by the Myanmar military. It was the last time he saw his parents.
Sarah ConwayFebruary 28, 2017
The Muslim Community Center of Chicago was established in 1969 and is one of the oldest and largest Muslim organizations in the Chicago area.
Alex V. HernandezFebruary 21, 2017