Across the U.S., an electronic surveillance system, built on ankle monitors and voice- and face-recognition technology, is tracking an increasing number of asylum seekers and people seeking permanent residency in the country. For many, it feels like they never left prison. ICE spokespeople and officials at the Department of Homeland Security espouse the technology-driven approach […]
Immigration
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Rainbow Trout Know About Relationships
Lauren Silverman weaves together issues surrounding relationships, immigration … and rainbow trout. It is a beautifully written, and highly personal, essay. Here’s a fish that is born with multiple destinies. It can choose to stay in its native river forever, or swim hundreds of miles into the deep blue — and it makes this life-altering choice […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Coyotes in the HOA
A short poignant essay from Thao Thai about coyotes, a neighborhood Facebook HOA group, belonging, migration, and the immigrant experience. Coyotes are known to claim territories for their families, even unconventional ones like bustling downtown streets in Chicago. Like me, coyotes blossom in familiarity. I admire their resilience, but I sometimes wonder if it’s worth […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Endless Exile: The Tangled Politics Keeping a Uyghur Man in Limbo
Sixteen years after being released from Guantánamo Bay, Ayoob Mohammed is still trying to prove he’s not a terrorist. This powerful, tragic story by Annie Hylton traces an Uyghur man’s journey from northwest China to Guantánamo to Albania — and examines the complex politics that have kept him from joining his family in Canada. As […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Drunk Mechanic, Shackled Immigrants, a Crash Landing: The Dangers of ICE Flights
“The airlines behind immigration flights aren’t household names, and they rarely land at major airports. They’re part of a shadow world of contractors that transport immigrants for profit. Since 2004, they have charged the U.S. government — and its taxpayers — more than $2 billion.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How a McDonald’s Knockoff Became the Immigrant Dream
“The truth is, Burger Baron maintains a cult following to this day partly because it’s a shitshow. To begin with, the logo—a colourful fat knight with double-Bs in his shield—often appears on signs as a crudely drawn copy of the original. The mascot sometimes looks emaciated or downright mutilated, if he appears on the sign […]
Posted inNonfiction
Doctors Without Patients: The Eritrean Physicians Stuck in American Licensing Limbo
“What was the whole point of your training if you cannot do something, even in a pandemic?”
Posted inCulture, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Reading List
’Names Have Power’: A Reading List on Names, Identity, and the Immigrant Experience
Whether adding a hyphen or changing one’s name completely, the process of naming can be complex.
Posted inNonfiction
‘Every Single Person Migrating Has a Story’: Caitlin Dwyer on the Emotional Underlayers of Family Separation
The writer describes her process of reporting and shaping her recent essay, “The State of Waiting,” which explores love in the shadow of war and immigration policy.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
The State of Waiting
Separated by war, boundaries, and immigration policies they cannot control, one young Yemeni couple refuses to give up on love.