Four ways to experience Iranian culture during the conflict
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
‘This is an abolitionist struggle’
Two local organizers tell Borderless Magazine just what’s at stake with keeping migrant children shelters open in Chicago.
‘Dreamers’ attend Supreme Court arguments today in the case against Trump’s move to end DACA
Two Chicago DACA recipients tell Borderless just what’s at stake with the case challenging temporary relief for young immigrants
Sarah ConwayNovember 12, 2019
After being stripped of his nationality, one Rohingya refugee finds hope in the 2020 census
In Malaysia and Myanmar, the census was a time of fear. But here in Chicago, Abdul Jabbar sees it as a chance for greater funding and visibility.
Sarah ConwayNovember 6, 2019
‘A black box where there is no accountability or oversight’: Attorney reflects on US immigration and detention system
Borderless talks to the National Immigrant Justice Center's Hannah Cartwright about the challenges asylum seekers and refugees are facing today.
Sarah ConwayOctober 30, 2019
Melanie Schikore on the asylum process
President Trump signed a 90-day asylum ban Friday that makes it harder for immigrants to claim asylum. But just who are asylum seekers?
The sweetest day
After Trump’s inauguration in 2017, some businesses along 27th Street in Chicago’s Little Village lost fifty percent of their sales.
For the head of Little Village’s business network, Trump’s immigration policies have meant disaster — and renewal
Jaime di Paulo is the executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, di Paulo was recruited to come work with the thriving business community here.
A taste of Mexico
Families from across Illinois gathered in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood this weekend for the fourth annual Taste of Mexico festival.
Hazim’s electronic dreams: Documenting the Yazidi genocide
They came to destroy. ISIS forces flooded the Sinjar region of Iraq at dawn determined to wipe out Yazidism, an ancient faith with a rich oral tradition.
Sarah ConwayApril 11, 2018
The father of three bracing for deportation
Felix Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant, is scheduled to be deported today. This is his story.
Omar El Akkad on journalism and the War on Terror
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
We crossed a bridge and it trembled: Voices from Syria
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
Syrian photographer Omar Imam’s work examines dreams, nightmares
Eleven black-and-white, surrealist photographs exploring the mental state of Syrian refugees in Lebanon debuted in Chicago this month.
Omar Imam on Syrian dreams
Photographer Omar Imam speaks about what it means to be a Syrian refugee six years into a conflict that has scattered Syrians across the world.
Sarah ConwayJuly 18, 2017
Finding a piece of Palestine in Orland Park
Watan Studio is Chicagoland’s only distinctively Palestinian art and design studio.
Sarah ConwayJune 13, 2017
Maudlyne Ihejirika on being a refugee and the need to ‘do something’
Maudlyne Ihejirika is an award-winning reporter and editor who has spent over 25 years at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sarah ConwayApril 24, 2017
Abu Shadi on revolution and imprisonment in Damascus
More than 17,000 Syrians have been killed in government custody since March 2011, and an estimated 100,000 people are still missing and presumed detained or killed, according to Syrian human rights groups.
Sarah ConwayApril 20, 2017
Susan Adeeb on the dark years of Iraq
Susan Adeeb came to the United States as a refugee from Iraq. During the Iraq War, she served as an interpreter for the U.S. Provincial Authority.
Sarah ConwayApril 12, 2017
Khaled Almilaji on the ‘Muslim Ban’ and being unable to return to the US
It’s been three months since Khaled Almilaji has seen his pregnant wife.
Sarah ConwayApril 11, 2017
Chicagoans tell us: What is the role of immigrants in America?
Borderless teamed up with The Point magazine on March 14 for a special panel discussion about immigration.
Sarah ConwayMarch 21, 2017
Two friends set out to translate Chicago into Arabic
Chicago was love at first sight for Malek Abdulsamad.
Sarah ConwayMarch 12, 2017
Chicagoans respond to the new immigration ban
Chicago’s immigrant communities responded to President Trump’s revised executive order today with an event condemning the new measures.
Sarah ConwayMarch 6, 2017
Jafra Saif on dance and growing up in Syria
Tango dancer, log cabin builder, Syrian immigrant: Jafra Saif is anything but typical.
Sarah ConwayMarch 3, 2017
Finding a home in the Rohingya Culture Center
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
Hadia Zarzour on living two lives in Chicago and Syria
Hadia Zarzour is a licensed clinical professional counselor and co-founder of the Syrian Community Network, a nonprofit determined to aid and assist resettled Syrian refugees as they build new lives in the United States.
Sarah ConwayFebruary 21, 2017
Suzanne Akhras Sahloul on the Muslim Ban’s impact on the Syrian community
Suzanne Akhras Sahloul is the founder and executive director of the Syrian Community Network, which helps Syrian refugees make a new home in the Chicago area.
Sarah ConwayFebruary 20, 2017
Abu Nabil on home and the taste of shish barak
When Abu Nabil* tastes shish barak (ششبرك), he remembers his mother.
Sarah ConwayFebruary 14, 2017
