Saleha Soadat for Borderless MagazineAn Afghan refugee seeking his pilot license, backlog and attorney shortages in immigration court, Latino residents pushing for more green space on the Southwest Side and more stories Borderless reported on Chicago’s immigrant communities.
From homeownership challenges for noncitizens to a campaign for work authorization for all in Illinois, the Borderless Magazine team reported stories with our immigrant communities throughout Chicago and the nearby suburbs in 2024.
This year, Borderless Magazine covered various stories, including the presidential election and the city and state’s ongoing response to new arrivals from the Southern border. Our team also took deep dives into the city’s migrant shelter system and resettlement efforts. We highlighted the voices of these asylum seekers and refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine while also creating resource guides for new arrivals trying to navigate the complex immigration laws.
Our reporters and photographers were knocking on doors, speaking with residents to hear their thoughts about the lack of parks in Chicago’s Latino communities. We also found time to tell inspiring stories about the Chicago Symphony Orchestra working with refugees to bring immigrant stories to center stage.
As we approach the final weeks of 2024 and look ahead to 2025, here are some of the most significant immigration stories we covered this past year:
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A scarcity of immigration attorneys for immigrants in Chicago amid a wave of new arrivals has made finding a lawyer an insurmountable task. The failure to obtain one can mean the difference between starting a new life in the U.S. or joining the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country who live in limbo, forever at risk of deportation. Or, worse yet, returning to the dangers they fled.
Contributing writer Stephen Franklin and reporter Katrina Pham spent time inside Chicago’s immigration court, listening to dozens of cases and speaking to people trying to navigate court alone.
Defying Gravity: An Afghan’s Journey to Get His Pilot License
Since childhood, Najibullah Amini watched American planes fly overhead and dreamed of becoming a pilot. He hopes to someday join the United States in fighting the Taliban. He shares his escape from Afghanistan and determination to get his pilot license with contributing reporter Saleha Sodate.
“I wanted to feel free like an eagle, leaving behind earthly troubles,” Amini recalls. “From above, I want to address instability and contribute to making the world a better place to live.”
After Decades of Disinvestment, Black and Latino Leaders Want ‘Profound Transformation’ Amid Migrant Crisis
In Black and Brown communities throughout the city, tensions have boiled over in response to the city’s migrant resettlement efforts. Residents expressed frustration with how the city has leveraged available resources, particularly federal American Rescue Plan Funds allocated in 2021 to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. In public forums, social media and private spaces, when residents compare the assistance given to asylum seekers with yearslong requests for community investment, they are clear about one thing: They want their lives to be treated as an emergency, too.
Veteran journalist Deborah D. Douglas explores frustrations — and opportunities — to unite and advocate for Chicago’s South and West Sides.
Investigation: Chicago Ignored Dozens of Warnings of Migrant Shelter Conditions Before Child’s Death
Two pink socks and one tan sweater. That was all five-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero left behind, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s records of his death.
The migrant boy, who officials say died from sepsis on Dec. 17, 2024, after falling ill at a city-run shelter in Pilsen, has become the symbol of Chicago’s struggle to provide adequate, safe housing for newly arrived immigrants.
Despite warnings, numerous hospitalizations and dozens of reports, Chicago officials continuously funneled thousands of migrants into an industrial warehouse never meant to house people. Read the award-winning investigation from Borderless staff Mauricio Peña, Katrina Pham and Nissa Rhee.
Chicago’s Latino Neighborhoods Have Less Access to Parks, But Residents Are Working to Change That
Brighton Park is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Chicago. The neighborhood experiences high levels of air pollution and is susceptible to flooding. Its residents are also among the most physically inactive. At the same time, it lacks a key element to combat these conditions brought on by climate change: substantial green space and parks.
As part of a collaboration with the Institute of Nonprofit News, environmental reporter Aydali Campa combed through reports, interviewed experts and spoke with residents to see which neighborhoods needed the most green space. The research pointed her to Brighton Park on the Southwest Side, where residents have come together to push the city to invest more in parks and neighborhood green spaces in the face of climate change.
Iranians Face Stringent Screening for a Chance to Study in the U.S.
Many Iranians are struggling to navigate the increasingly stringent screening process for student visas amid long-standing sanctions. With no U.S. embassy in Iran, students travel to neighboring countries for visa appointments, only to be canceled or immediately rejected by agents with no explanation. Nearly 10 Iranian students detailed the difficult visa screening process with Medill reporting fellow Tara Mobasher.
The Revival of Chicago’s Filipino American Rizal Center
The Rizal Center has survived years of challenges from ownership battles to financial hardships. But with a new board — and inspiration from a younger generation of Filipino Americans — the center is slowly being restored to its former glory as a pillar of the Filipino community in Chicago. Engagement reporter Katrina Pham spent time at the Rizal Center to learn more about the efforts to revitalize the center and bring community members back after an uncertain period.
How a Chicago Nonprofit Creates Community To Empower Middle Eastern and Arab Women
In the days after arriving in the U.S., Doha Lahlah recalled trying to balance supporting her family while navigating a new country. Amid the unknown, Lahlah found herself inside the Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance (MIRA) office in West Ridge, getting answers to her family’s pressing questions. Marketing and Engagement Manager Diane Bou Khalil spoke to the women finding a haven at MIRA and the women creating a space for them.
‘I Have to Find Work’: Day Laborers Face Steep Competition, Slim Job Prospects
Many day laborers gather on the edges of Home Depots across the city, where they have long tried to find work in Chicago. These home improvement stores have long been the first — and sometimes even the last place of work for immigrants. And now, they are where many of the latest arrivals stake out their futures as they wait out backlogged immigration court dates or work permission authorization. For those who arrived with nothing but dreams, it is where they scrape daily for their existence.
Veteran journalist and contributing writer Stephen Franklin and photographer Abel Uribe documented the slim prospects and stiff competition among dozens and dozens of day laborers waiting to find work.
Buying a Home is Hard. It’s Even More Difficult When You’re Undocumented.
Undocumented immigrants can buy a house, but their immigration status poses unique challenges. Noncitizens face limited financing options and stricter lending requirements, with some ITIN home loans requiring a minimum 20% down payment and sometimes interest rates as high as 10 percent. However, some local lenders and homebuying counselors suggest that more financing opportunities are becoming available for noncitizens in Greater Chicago. Reporter Campa explored the long, windy path to homeownership for noncitizens in Chicago.
City Contractor ‘Failed’ Clients as Migrant Shelter Complaints Mounted, Staffers Say
Over the last two years, the City of Chicago built an unprecedented shelter system to provide safe, temporary lodging and resettlement resources to incoming migrants. But as complaints against shelter staff poured in, the city passed off much of overseeing that system to Favorite contractors, according to a review of hundreds of pages of public records, including contracts, invoices and emails. Records show that Favorite had a poor track record of resolving complaints. Read our collaboration with the Investigative Project on Race and Equity.
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