Category

Labor and Economics

A day laborer arrives on a bike at a gas station early one morning in the Avondale neighborhood.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/ Catchlight Local/ Report for America
Once Packed with Day Laborers, a Chicago Hiring Corner Empties Out Under Immigration Crackdown Immigration PolicyInvestigationLabor and EconomicsLatest

Once Packed with Day Laborers, a Chicago Hiring Corner Empties Out Under Immigration Crackdown

At a Shell gas station that has drawn day laborers for decades, immigration raids have scared off both workers and the contractors who hire them, prompting a network of volunteers to offer support and a sense of safety.
and July 2, 2026
A pair of images, first showing a construction site on a vacant tract of land in the South Loop next to Chinatown, will house the new Chicago Fire stadium; the second shows Debbie Liu, president of the Ping Tom Park advisory council standing near the development site with the South Loop skyline behind her.Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America
A Soccer Stadium Is Coming to Chinatown’s Doorstep. Locals Want Guarantees It Won’t Push Them Out. Labor and EconomicsLatest

A Soccer Stadium Is Coming to Chinatown’s Doorstep. Locals Want Guarantees It Won’t Push Them Out.

While the amount of tax subsidies for the stadium remains undecided, community members are pushing for a formal agreement to secure the development's promised affordable housing and economic benefits.
March 3, 2026
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
Efrain Soriano for Borderless Magazine
City Contractor ‘Failed’ Clients as Migrant Shelter Complaints Mounted, Staffers Say Environment and HealthInvestigationLabor and EconomicsVisuals

City Contractor ‘Failed’ Clients as Migrant Shelter Complaints Mounted, Staffers Say

Chicago is phasing out Favorite Healthcare Staffing after paying the agency $342 million to oversee its shelter system. Records show that Favorite had a poor track record of resolving complaints.
November 19, 2024
Photo illustration by Max Herman/Borderless Magazine. Photo by Max Herman / additional photo from Canva
Buying a Home is Hard. It’s Even More Difficult When You’re Undocumented. Immigration PolicyLabor and Economics

Buying a Home is Hard. It’s Even More Difficult When You’re Undocumented.

Undocumented immigrants have long faced a narrow path to homeownership, but in recent years, some local community banks are slowly expanding lending options to help noncitizens realize their dream of owning a home.
July 2, 2024
Vietnamese, Asian, Argyle, Chicago, restaurant, pandemic, business, immigrantPhoto by Woojae Julia Song for Block Club Chicago/CatchLight Local Chicago
Los negocios de ‘Asia en Argyle’ luchan por sobrevivir mientras se enfrentan al paisaje urbano, la pandemia y la reconstrucción de CTA Labor and Economics

Los negocios de ‘Asia en Argyle’ luchan por sobrevivir mientras se enfrentan al paisaje urbano, la pandemia y la reconstrucción de CTA

La orden de quedarse en casa y las reglas de capacidad reducida presentadas durante la pandemia del COVID-19, son solo algunas de las batallas que enfrentan propietarios de negocios como Quang Minh Lê y LoanTh'Thu Nguyễn, dueños del restaurante Phở Loan.
May 25, 2021
Vietnamese, Asian, Argyle, Chicago, restaurant, pandemic, business, immigrantPhoto by Woojae Julia Song for Block Club Chicago/CatchLight Local Chicago
From Streetscape To Pandemic To CTA Rebuild, Asia On Argyle Businesses Fight To Survive Environment and HealthLabor and Economics

From Streetscape To Pandemic To CTA Rebuild, Asia On Argyle Businesses Fight To Survive

La orden de quedarse en casa y las reglas de capacidad reducida presentadas durante la pandemia del COVID-19, son solo algunas de las batallas que enfrentan propietarios de negocios como Quang Minh Lê y LoanTh'Thu Nguyễn, dueños del restaurante Phở Loan.
May 24, 2021
immigrant, chef, Uptown, virtual, restaurant, Chicago, pandemic, foodPhoto by Woojae Julia Song for Block Club Chicago/CatchLight Local
A Pandemic Pivot: Uptown Chef Launches Virtual Indian Restaurant To Stay Safe And Keep Cooking Environment and HealthLabor and Economics

A Pandemic Pivot: Uptown Chef Launches Virtual Indian Restaurant To Stay Safe And Keep Cooking

Fueled by a love of cooking and economic necessity, out-of-work chefs like Jasmine Sheth have launched restaurants without brick-and-mortar locations during the pandemic.
April 8, 2021
immigrant, restaurant, pandemic, businessPhoto by Woojae Julia Song for Block Club Chicago/CatchLight Local Chicago
Hospitality On Hold: How One Timeless Uptown Diner Was Interrupted By The Pandemic Environment and HealthLabor and Economics

Hospitality On Hold: How One Timeless Uptown Diner Was Interrupted By The Pandemic

With insufficient federal financial relief, restaurants like Uptown's Golden House have had to lay off staff, adapt to constantly changing policies, risk their health daily and make painful decisions in an effort to stay open.
and March 22, 2021
housing, tenants, residents, rights, eviction, pandemicApril Alonso for Borderless Magazine/ CatchLight Local Chicago
In Little Village, An Immigrant-Led Artists’ Commune Resists as Developer Seeks Eviction Arts & CultureLabor and Economics

In Little Village, An Immigrant-Led Artists’ Commune Resists as Developer Seeks Eviction

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.
February 24, 2021
essential worker, protestFrancisco Velazquez/Borderless Magazine
‘We Just Want What We Deserve’: Former Strauss Meatpacking Employees Protest Unsafe Working Conditions During COVID  InvestigationLabor and Economics

‘We Just Want What We Deserve’: Former Strauss Meatpacking Employees Protest Unsafe Working Conditions During COVID 

Workers say they were fired after complaining about the lack of coronavirus safety measures. Over 17,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported among meat and poultry workers in the United States.
September 16, 2020
For the head of Little Village’s business network, Trump’s immigration policies have meant disaster — and renewal As Told ToLabor and Economics

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.
and September 14, 2018