Illinois
Chicago’s immigration court handles thousands of cases a year, yet remains largely invisible to the public. Northwestern’s Medill reporters spent months inside the system – attending hearings, interviewing families, and documenting the human cost of a backlogged court where outcomes can hinge on which judge is assigned to a case.
Northwestern University
Medill School of Journalism
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Trends, jargon inside Chicago immigration courts
Story by Clare Kirwan
Navigating immigration court is complicated and people before the court, known as respondents, often fall through the cracks.
In Chicago’s immigration court: Cases of chaos, despair and hope
Story by Project Staff
In Chicago’s immigration court hundreds of immigrants go through proceedings that will determine whether they will be able to stay in the U.S.
What we observed in U.S. immigration courts
Story by Griffin W. Fellows & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Lives in the Balance brought together six universities to document and observe immigration court hearings..