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Immigration Policy

Photo illustration by Max Herman/Borderless Magazine. Source images: Zoonar/Morozova Tatiana/Alamy and State of Illinois
Illinois Families, Child Care Providers on Edge Following Trump Funding Freeze FeaturedImmigration Policy

Illinois Families, Child Care Providers on Edge Following Trump Funding Freeze

While the funds have not been permanently cut, advocates say the impact is threatening Illinois families, creating uncertainty for the future of some immigrant-run child care facilities.
February 26, 2026
Jaime Jr., faces away from the camera as he stands beside the condominium parking lot in Mount Prospect, Ill., where his father, Jaime, was taken by federal agents on Oct. 12, 2025.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
Mexican Father Who Signed for Voluntary Departure Didn’t Know He Had a Chance to Stay Enforcement and CourtsFeaturedImmigration PolicyInvestigationTop Stories

Mexican Father Who Signed for Voluntary Departure Didn’t Know He Had a Chance to Stay

Voluntary departures have skyrocketed under Trump, leading some attorneys to question whether immigrants are being coerced into agreeing to the alternative to deportation.
February 23, 2026
A consulate worker helps a client a pop up in the Chicago suburbs as part of the Mexican Consulate's “Consulado Sobre Ruedas initiative.”Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
As Detentions Increase, Support from Chicago’s Consulates Varies for Immigrants Facing Deportation Immigration PolicyLatestTop Stories

As Detentions Increase, Support from Chicago’s Consulates Varies for Immigrants Facing Deportation

Some consulates invest fewer resources into supporting nationals in the U.S., leaving some immigrants feeling unsupported as they face an increasingly harsh immigration system.
February 17, 2026
Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Mayor Puts ‘ICE On Notice,’ Calling On Chicago Police To Investigate Crimes By Federal Agents Enforcement and CourtsImmigration PolicyLatest

Mayor Puts ‘ICE On Notice,’ Calling On Chicago Police To Investigate Crimes By Federal Agents

The ‘ICE On Notice’ executive order provides a framework for police and the Mayor’s Office to document and investigate alleged wrongdoing by immigration officers so they can be held criminally accountable, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said.
February 2, 2026
Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
New SNAP Eligibility Changes Could Leave Thousands of Immigrants, Refugees Without Food Assistance Immigration PolicyLatest

New SNAP Eligibility Changes Could Leave Thousands of Immigrants, Refugees Without Food Assistance

Officials are working to connect individuals with food assistance as over 340,000 Illinois residents — including 14,000 legally present immigrants with humanitarian protections — could lose SNAP benefits amid new eligibility changes.
February 2, 2026
Photo illustration by Max Herman/Borderless Magazine
ICE Can Access Your Social Media. Here’s What To Know FeaturedImmigration PolicyLatestStaff PickTop Stories

ICE Can Access Your Social Media. Here’s What To Know

Federal agencies are working to expand social media surveillance as part of Trump’s immigration efforts. Borderless Magazine spoke with experts to explain what information the government is monitoring and how to protect your identity on social media.
January 8, 2026
Max Herman/Borderless Magazine
Chicago Homeless Shelter Residents Say They Wait Months At the City’s Intake Center Before Being Placed At a Shelter Environment and HealthFeaturedImmigration PolicyInvestigation

Chicago Homeless Shelter Residents Say They Wait Months At the City’s Intake Center Before Being Placed At a Shelter

A year after the city’s largest migrant shelter turned into a temporary intake zone for unhoused individuals, the Shelter Placement and Resource Center sometimes takes months before placing them in homeless centers, some residents say.
and December 18, 2025
Gov. Pritzker Signs Laws To Better Protect Immigrants, Sue Federal Agents After Midway Blitz Immigration Policy

Gov. Pritzker Signs Laws To Better Protect Immigrants, Sue Federal Agents After Midway Blitz

The new laws won’t stop federal immigration enforcement, but they will give the state “new protective tools” and symbolize resistance “against those terrorizing our communities and our state,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.
and December 10, 2025
Mustafa Hussain for ProPublica
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime Immigration PolicyInvestigationTop Stories

“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime

Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arrested in a Chicago raid are telling their stories.
and December 4, 2025
Community Organizer at The Resurrection Project and longtime faith leader Father Brendan Curran speaks into a megaphone as he rallies protesters outside the Broadview ICE facility in Broadview, IL on Sept. 12, 2025.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
In Chicago, Faith Leaders Reflect on Legacy Supporting Immigrants’ Rights: ‘We Have to Stand Up for Every Person’ FeaturedImmigration Policy

In Chicago, Faith Leaders Reflect on Legacy Supporting Immigrants’ Rights: ‘We Have to Stand Up for Every Person’

From sanctuary efforts in the ‘80s to Trump’s latest deportation efforts, Chicago’s faith leaders lean into commitment to immigrants.
December 2, 2025
Jorge Mújica Murias, an organizer with Arise Chicago, stands in the front of a small meeting room as he walks small business owners through role play-scenarios to prepare them in case they encounter ICE officers on Oct. 21, 2025.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
What Can Chicago’s Small Businesses Do if ICE Is at Their Door? Immigration PolicyLabor and EconomicsResources

What Can Chicago’s Small Businesses Do if ICE Is at Their Door?

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has small business owners and their employees navigating uncertainty amid safety concerns and staffing shortages. Borderless Magazine compiled a guide on what to do if ICE appears at your workplace.
November 18, 2025
Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America and courtesy
‘It’s Shameful and Embarrassing’: Chicago Daycare Worker Arrest Leaves Families on Edge FeaturedImmigration Policy

‘It’s Shameful and Embarrassing’: Chicago Daycare Worker Arrest Leaves Families on Edge

After ICE agents followed and detained a daycare worker on Chicago’s North Side, parents are questioning whether schools and childcare centers are safe from immigration enforcement.
November 13, 2025
Arthur Maiorella for Block Club Chicago
Border Patrol Boss Greg Bovino Must Report To Court Daily About ICE Tactics, Federal Judge Says Immigration Policy

Border Patrol Boss Greg Bovino Must Report To Court Daily About ICE Tactics, Federal Judge Says

“Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis told Bovino during a court hearing Tuesday morning. “They just don’t.”
October 29, 2025
A group of several people stand in a circle praying near the Broadview ICE facility.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
Religious Activists Protested Broadview for Years. Now, ICE’s Crackdown Is Drowning Out Their Prayers Immigration PolicyTop StoriesVisuals

Religious Activists Protested Broadview for Years. Now, ICE’s Crackdown Is Drowning Out Their Prayers

What began as quiet Friday morning prayers decades ago has evolved into a larger and louder movement as activists join a long-standing prayer group in demanding the release of detainees.
and October 28, 2025
Patrick Filbin/Block Club Chicago
ICE Arrest Of Teen Cancer Patient’s Dad ‘Unconscionable,’ Officials Say While Demanding His Release Immigration Policy

ICE Arrest Of Teen Cancer Patient’s Dad ‘Unconscionable,’ Officials Say While Demanding His Release

Rep. Delia Ramirez said she’s preparing legislation to “rein in ICE” as she and other officials push for an investigation into Ruben Torres Maldonado’s arrest by a “terror force” of federal agents.
October 23, 2025
Max Herman/Borderless Magazine. Screenshots from video courtesy of Illinois State Rep. Hoan
‘We Should Be Able To Live In Peace’: ICE Allegedly Pulls Gun On State Rep. Hoan Huynh Immigration Policy

‘We Should Be Able To Live In Peace’: ICE Allegedly Pulls Gun On State Rep. Hoan Huynh

In the latest incident in a string of aggressive immigration enforcement, Illinois State Rep. Hoan Huynh alleged that federal agents pointed a gun at him and a staffer in Chicago’s North Side while they were warning the community of ICE presence.
, and October 22, 2025
Daniel Powell/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy and Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
From Pepper Spray to Tear Gas: Here’s How to Spot the Difference When They’re Dispersed Immigration PolicyResources

From Pepper Spray to Tear Gas: Here’s How to Spot the Difference When They’re Dispersed

Amid frequent escalating protests and aggressive tactics by federal agents, Borderless compiled a guide to understand what substances agents are using — and how to stay protected in case of potential exposure.
October 17, 2025
A masked federal agent points a weapon at residents on the East Side of Chicago. One elderly man is seeing filming with his phone.Matthew Kaplan/Block Club Chicago
Immigration Committee Chair Warns ‘Fascism Is Here,’ Sends Plan To Investigate Feds To Council Immigration Policy

Immigration Committee Chair Warns ‘Fascism Is Here,’ Sends Plan To Investigate Feds To Council

Among the measures expected to be considered by the City Council on Thursday is a resolution to investigate “every instance of potential misconduct” by federal agents in Chicago amid the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz.
October 16, 2025
Federal agents wearing gas masks and fatigues walk through tear gas pointing the direction they are commanding protestors to go.Dave Decker/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy
Chicago Officials, Community Leaders Push Back Against ICE’s Aggressive Tactics: ‘This Is About Control’ Enforcement and CourtsImmigration Policy

Chicago Officials, Community Leaders Push Back Against ICE’s Aggressive Tactics: ‘This Is About Control’

One month since the launch of “Operation Midway Blitz,” Illinois officials and activists are taking action against ICE enforcement tactics and the deployment of the National Guard.
October 7, 2025
Two federal agents wearing camouflage and standing on a rooftop aim less lethal weapons at protesters.Vincent D. Johnson/Block Club Chicago
ICE Fires Chemical Weapon At TV Reporter In Broadview; ‘Unprovoked’ Attack Under Investigation Enforcement and CourtsImmigration Policy

ICE Fires Chemical Weapon At TV Reporter In Broadview; ‘Unprovoked’ Attack Under Investigation

The attack came one day after ICE arrested another working journalist. “Absolutely unprovoked,” the TV news reporter said. “My window was open and chemicals went all over my face. Been puking for two hours.”
September 29, 2025
Wendy Wei for Borderless Magazine
More Than Three Years After Russia’s Full-scale Ukraine Invasion, Aid Workers Question: ‘Is Rebuilding Enough? Immigration PolicyInvestigationVisuals

More Than Three Years After Russia’s Full-scale Ukraine Invasion, Aid Workers Question: ‘Is Rebuilding Enough?

Chicago's Ukrainian diaspora has funded millions to reconstruct bombed communities. But as some humanitarian workers pivot from humanitarian work to military action, volunteers face hard questions about effective resistance.
August 12, 2025
Sebastián Hidalgo for Block Club Chicago
Can Local Officials Stop ICE Agents From Hiding Behind Masks? They’re Trying Enforcement and CourtsImmigration Policy

Can Local Officials Stop ICE Agents From Hiding Behind Masks? They’re Trying

Seven Illinois representatives co-sponsored a bill that would ban immigration agents from wearing masks. In Chicago, police district council members want the city to enforce “identification standards” for law enforcement.
July 7, 2025
Nathan Howard/Sipa USA/Alamy Live News
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Defends Sanctuary Policies in Congressional Hearing, Claims ‘Abuse of Power’ Immigration Policy

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Defends Sanctuary Policies in Congressional Hearing, Claims ‘Abuse of Power’

Pritzker defended the safety and security of sanctuary policies at the House Oversight Committee, while calling Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests an “abuse of power.”
June 12, 2025
Benjamin Rasmussen for ProPublica
Boxed Up: A Portrait of an Immigrant Community Living Under Threat of Deportation Enforcement and CourtsImmigration Policy

Boxed Up: A Portrait of an Immigrant Community Living Under Threat of Deportation

The Nicaraguans who keep Wisconsin’s dairy farms, restaurants and factories working are sending home their most prized possessions, bracing for potential mass deportations. “We don’t have much, but what we do have is important.”
February 20, 2025
Beatriz Ponce de Leon, Deputy Mayor for Immigration, Migrant and Refugee Rights, speaks as protesters and local officials filled the lobby at City Hall Jan. 13, 2025 to rally in support of the city's Welcoming City ordinance in the face of Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) and Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd)’s proposed changes to the ordinance.Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Trump Deportations Could Start In Chicago Tuesday, Reports Say. The City’s Immigrants Are Preparing Immigration Policy

Trump Deportations Could Start In Chicago Tuesday, Reports Say. The City’s Immigrants Are Preparing

As many as 200 ICE officers will be sent to Chicago next week, according to national reports. Chicago leaders are doubling down on efforts to support immigrants amid fears.
and January 18, 2025