04/01/2024 -
Inside Chicago's Immigration Court and the maze migrants must navigate to stay
See the article
here.
DePaul Migration Collaborative Practitioner in Residence Elizabeth Kennedy shares her expertise with campus, Chicago.
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The DMC’s Practitioner in Residence, Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, lead an event on October 26 that empowered local asylum case advocates to better support asylum seekers from El Salvador. Dr. Kennedy’s decade-long dedication to human rights, gender issues, violence, and migration, notably in Central America, has produced a substantial body of research, including peer-reviewed articles, policy reports, and media publications. Her presentation provided attendees with valuable insights into the conditions of El Salvador.
Country condition reports play a pivotal role in asylum cases by providing essential, evidence-based documentation of the circumstances in the applicant’s country of origin. Dr. Kennedy provided practical examples and resources of how to compile relevant country condition materials to assist asylum seekers from El Salvador.
Dr. Kennedy spoke to over 30 participants from 18 community-based organizations. By equipping legal professionals and community advocates with essential knowledge and resources, the DMC and the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic seek to continue to uphold the rights and dignity of asylum seekers in Chicago.
With rising numbers of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago, one professor is helping bridge the legal support gap for the newly arrived from 13 different countries.
To see the article, just click here.
Sioban Albiol, Director of Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic at DePaul University, will receive the Leah Duckett Public Service Award at Life Span’s annual gala on September 28, 2023, at Galleria Marchetti. Sioban Albiol has provided invaluable expert advice and support to Life Span, whose clients are survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
Advance purchase tickets are $150 through September 21 at
https://life-span.org/light-to-life-2023/
In a progressive move, Illinois passed a bill allowing non-U.S. citizens with work authorization to become police officers. This echoes a growing national trend, challenging long-standing state laws rooted in early 20th-century nativism that restrict non-citizens from certain occupations. The shift began with the introduction of DACA in 2012 and has been reinforced by initiatives from organizations like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Employing immigrants, especially in law enforcement, promotes community representation and public safety. For a detailed read,
click here.
04/27/2023 - Prof. Rajit Mazumder Talks about his Research on Muslim minorities in Pakistan
The following is an interview with the academic website Faculit.net on Prof. Rajit Mazumder's recent article. The article is on Muslim opposition, particularly by the Shia Muslim community, to the demand for Pakistan by the All-India Muslim League in the 1940s in British India. The interview goes over the background of the main subject, the salient points made in the article, and the current relevance of the research. There is a reference to refugees, drawing on Prof. Shailja Sharma's work, towards the end of the interview.
To see the article, just click here.
04/20/2023 - DMC's Steering Committee member REV. CRAIG B. MOUSIN and his wife CHRIS INSERRA
To see the article, just click here.
04/14/2023 - DePaul Migration Collaborative Explores Climate Change, Mental Health
Imagine it's 2033, and the population of Chicago is exploding. The Midwestern city has become a hub for those displaced by hurricanes, drought, rising sea levels and other climate disasters. DePaul professors Barbara Willard and Craig Mousin laid out this scenario at the second annual convening of the DePaul Migration Collaborative on April 14. They challenged participants to consider how Chicago might prepare for an influx of climate refugees.
To see the article, just click here.
04/14/2023 - DePaul Receives Inspirational Gift From John And Kathy Schreiber
DePaul University is honored to announce a multifaceted gift from John and Kathy Schreiber, who are supporting several DePaul programs to help underserved and vulnerable populations. Their generous gift to DePaul includes over $1.2 million pledged to the Schreiber Catholic Future Teacher Leader Program and a nearly $600,000 gift to the DePaul Migration Collaborative, among other transformative programs at DePaul. The Schreibers’ gift also supports the Egan Hope Scholars and the Egan Family Engagement and Coalition Initiative.
To see the article, just click here.
04/01/2023 - The 40th Anniversary of the Harold Washington Election
Chicago's long-standing commitment to being a sanctuary city can be traced back to 1985 when Mayor Harold Washington issued an executive order preventing city employees from participating in immigration enforcement. This order aimed to protect undocumented immigrants and foster trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. Harold Washington's legacy as the first African American mayor of Chicago, known for his commitment to social justice and civil rights, continues to inspire the city's politics and social movements today. To celebrate his contributions, an anniversary event titled "The 40th Anniversary of the Harold Washington Election" will take place on April 13, 2023 (see attached flyer). In addition to this event, "A Clear View from the Prairie: Harold Washington and the People of Illinois Respond to Federal Encroachment of Human Rights" is an upcoming event that will shed light on the struggles faced by immigrants and marginalized communities in the fight for equal rights. Those interested in learning more about Harold Washington and his legacy can read Prof. Craig Mousin's article titled
"A Clear View from the Prairie: Harold Washington and the People of Illinois Respond to Federal Encroachment of Human Rights".
02/27/2023 - Muslim Minority Against Islamic Nation: The Shias of British India and the Demand for Pakistan, 1940–45
This article analyses the relationship between British colonialism and Islamic sectarianism, and its consequent impact on the Shias, the largest Muslim minority in British India. In the critical decade leading up to independence and partition in 1947, politics in British India were dominated by the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan. However, leading Shia organizations were opposed to the League’s idea of an Islamic nation and supported India’s independence without partition. Instead, they demanded that the British recognize the Shia as a Muslim minority, and thereby confer statutory protections from Sunni domination. The British government arbitrarily and unjustly ignored Shia entreaties for constitutional protections. Imperial realpolitik required the colonial state to acknowledge the Muslim League as the sole political representative of all Muslims, thus, rendering Pakistan a fait accompli. The intersection of the colonial government’s political calculations with the League’s political ambitions compelled both to discard the Shias. This study of the complex issue of minorities and their uncertain position in the nation promised for all Muslims has relevance for current debates on the nation and nationalism, on minorities and their rights, on sectarianism and majoritarianism, and on the politics of identity. To see the article, just click here.
02/27/2023 - University-Community Collaborations: A Vehicle for Capacity Building and Mutual Learning within an Immigrant Mental Health Coalition
The GEO Community-based Service Learning (CbSL) course article has been published. This collaborative effort includes co-authors from DMC, including our own Ruben Alvarez Silva (Str. Comm.) and Prof. Maria Ferrera (Faculty Advisory Co.) To see the article, just click here.
02/24/2023 - Higher education can do more to help our city’s immigrants By Christopher Tirres and Olya Glantsman
Read the article here
02/23/2023 - Craig Mousin's Lawful Assembly Podcast: Episode 34: Support Humanitarian Asylum Welcome
In this interview, Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy interviews Heidi Altman, the Policy Director of the National Immigrant Justice Center. Ms. Altman discusses a proposed rule that will effectively preclude most asylum-seekers from safely and effectively applying for asylum in the United States. She advocates for humanitarian asylum welcome. She previously served as the legal director for the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition and was a Teaching Fellow in the immigration clinic at Georgetown University Law School.
Listen to the podcast here
02/03/2023 - The Game of Life: Leveraging Tech for Civics Education
The article by Lien Tran, a member of the faculty advisory council for the DMC, discusses the lack of civics education in the United States, which has contributed to misunderstandings about the First Amendment. Tran suggests that video games could be a solution to this problem, citing the success of iCivics, a collection of games and resources that reimagine civics education and engage students in the topic. Good learning games can situate the meaning of words by relating them to actions, images, and dialogue, and games like Do I Have a Right? specifically address freedom of speech. Tran argues that educators and caregivers should consider the enormous potential of games to transform knowledge, awareness, and perspective on all sorts of societal issues, including civics and government.
By Lien B. Tran
Read the article here
01/26/2023 - 2022 Community Capacity Report
In April 2022, the DePaul Migration Collaborative (DMC) held its first major summit titled “Strategies for a Migrant Planet.” Following the summit, a 40-page report was developed to summarize findings from five focus groups, representing eighteen different greater Chicago area community organizations working in the field of migration.
The focus groups centered around three main themes: 1) the assets of the organization, 2) the barriers that impede them from reaching their fullest aspirations, and 3) possible points of collaboration with DePaul University.
01/13/2023 - Craig Mousin's Lawful Assembly Podcast: Episode 33: New Year, Same Problems
Imagine you are an asylum-seeker who has left your homeland. Listen to the interview with Secretary Mayorkas and consider its impact as you. Then write to the White House and Secretary Mayorkas and urge the Biden administration to follow the procedures and procedural protections of the Refugee Act of 1980
01/09/2023 - Lunar New Year Offers a Chance to Reflect on Asian American History
It’s critical that we do not homogenize Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander identities. The United States is home to 22 million Asian Americans, who have roots in more than 20 countries.
Educators looking for resources to teach Asian American history should look to organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice, as well as museums. Museums are also in the business of education, and there are already leading examples for how emerging technology can be the means and solution for collecting, sharing, educating and even immersing students and museum visitors in difficult histories, while survivors are still alive to share their voices and stories.
By Lien B. Tran, Public Voices fellow through the Op Ed Project
Read the article
here
01/09/2023 - Shailja Sharma's Op-ed titled, “The border ‘crisis’ is a problem that we can solve” has been published in The Chicago Tribune.
Read the article here (subscription required).
06/15/2022 - Announcing the inaugural co-directors of the DePaul Migration Collaborative (DMC)
DePaul’s College of Law and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) are pleased to announce the appointment of Sioban Albiol, JD, and Shailja Sharma, PhD, as the inaugural co-directors of the DePaul Migration Collaborative (DMC). Read more
here.
11/17/2021 - Welcoming the Stranger
The DePaul Migration Collaborative was featured in "Welcoming the Stranger. The DePaul Migration Collaborative strives to build a better future for immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers" in the Fall 2021 edition of Insights: A Publication for College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Alumni and Friends.
Read more
here.