DePaul Migration Collaborative

Join us for a virtual talk with Monica Reyes sharing research conducted in partnership with Nuevos Vecinos, a Chicago-based organization supporting new arrivals. This conversation highlights how migrants navigate the challenges of displacement and the shelter system while building community, dignity, and support networks.
The research traces a powerful shift from hardship to leadership, as individuals who initially received support from Nuevos Vecinos often became active volunteers serving others. Through this process, communities form what many describe as a “chosen family,” creating spaces of trust, shared knowledge, and resilience.
Registration Link in bio
📩 Want to get involved or learn more? Drop us a DM or email us at [email protected]
— we’d love to connect!
[migrant communities, community research, Chicago migrants, mutual aid, community resilience, migration studies, DePaul events]

How can community partnerships help bridge gaps in healthcare access for migrants? This Solutions Lab presentation brings together Dr. Jay Baglia, Alice Woo, and Dr. Jessica Jerome to explore how research, practice, and policy intersect to address systemic health inequities. Dr. Baglia's project draws on local collaboration with CommunityHealth, a partner focused on providing health services at no charge to low-income or uninsured adults in Chicago. The panel will highlight how communication strategies can improve access to care, while also examining broader healthcare systems and models such as preventative, community-based approaches that reduce barriers for marginalized populations. Together, the session offers practical and comparative insights into building more equitable healthcare access.
Registration Link in bio
📩 Want to get involved or learn more? Drop us a DM or email us at [email protected]
— we’d love to connect!
[health equity, migrant health, healthcare access, community partnerships, public health research, immigrant healthcare, solutions lab event]

Still reeling from last week’s symposium.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day of urgent conversations, critical reflection, and collective imagining around migration, rights, and protections. We left energized by the students, advocates, attorneys, organizers, scholars, and community members who filled the space with honesty, determination, and care.

Some of our favorite moments were watching connections happen in real time: conversations continuing in hallways long after sessions ended, new collaborations taking shape over coffee, and standing-room-only sessions filled with people committed to building something better together.

At a moment when so many systems feel designed to isolate and divide, gathering in community reminded us that another future is possible and that none of us are building it alone.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who made the symposium such a meaningful experience. More photos, reflections, and a full event roundup will be coming soon!

Did you have a favorite moment, insight, or new connection from the day? Find your peers below and keep the conversation going.

📸 : Sebastian Alarcon, DePaul Student Photo Agency

[Broken by design, DMC, Depaul, Chicago, Migration]

Join us for the upcoming Solutions Lab Series, featuring two sessions that explore community, research, and collaboration in supporting new arrivals in Chicago. These conversations highlight how lived experiences and applied research can inform more inclusive and community-centered approaches.
📅 May 27 | 4:20–5:20 PM
From Hardship to Leadership: Cultivating Community Amongst Chicago’s New Arrivals
📅 May 28 | 12:00–1:30 PM
Plain Language, Shared Mission: Expanding Community Access to Health Education
Link in bio to register
📩 Want to get involved or learn more? Drop us a DM or email us at [email protected]
— we’d love to connect!
[migration research, community engagement, Chicago migrants, solutions lab, immigrant communities, applied research, DePaul events]

The symposium concludes with a powerful reflection on the role of higher education in shaping inclusive and resilient communities. Delivered by GianMario Besana, Associate Provost for Global Engagement and Online Learning at DePaul University, this closing address centers on how institutions can respond to displacement through both values and action.

Grounded in DePaul’s Vincentian tradition, the remarks will highlight the importance of welcoming displaced students not as an act of charity alone, but as a commitment to justice, accompaniment, and long-term community building. Drawing from DePaul’s initiatives and broader research, this session underscores how access to education can transform lives while strengthening the communities we share.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[migration and education, refugee students, higher education access, global engagement, community building, human rights symposium, DePaul initiatives]

As part of Broken by Design: Refuge and Responsibility, the symposium features a dual digital exhibition bringing together the work of Jonathan Michael Castillo and Pueblo Unido Gallery at Centro Romero. Together, the exhibition highlights distinct yet interconnected approaches to migration, identity, and community through both individual artistic practice and collective, community-driven storytelling.

A 2026 Guggenheim Fellow in Photography, Castillo’s work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and featured in publications such as The New Yorker and Wired. Our exhibition will feature projects Immigrant Owned and Unaccompanied, which highlights both the contributions of immigrant communities to local economies and the lived realities of unaccompanied youth navigating systems of care. Through portraiture, space, and collaboration, his practice reflects themes of dignity, resilience, and belonging while maintaining the privacy and humanity of those represented.

Alongside this work, Pueblo Unido Gallery—is a community-driven art space that is part of Centro Romero's overall programming. The youth program led by Susana Salgado—presents a community-centered approach that supports immigrant youth through creative practice, mentorship, and storytelling rooted in lived experience. Through exhibitions and advocacy, the gallery amplifies migrant voices and uses art as a tool to advance human rights, build community, and connect Chicago’s diverse communities.

We are incredibly grateful to have both join us and share their work on May 1st.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[migration art, immigrant stories, visual storytelling, Chicago artists, immigrant communities, human rights art, symposium exhibition]

How is personal data shaping the rights and experiences of immigrant communities? This breakout session examines how data collection and sharing can be used in ways that undermine trust and contribute to discriminatory practices. Moderated by Roselyne Tchoua, with speakers Kevin Herrera and Sarah Lamdan, the panel brings together critical perspectives on data use in the immigration context.

The discussion will explore strategies to better secure immigrant data, alongside legal and policy efforts aimed at preventing misuse in immigration enforcement and strengthening protections for non-citizen rights.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[data privacy, immigrant rights, data protection, immigration policy, digital rights, migration justice, human rights symposium]

Only 5 days until Broken by Design: Refuge and Responsibility. We’re looking forward to a full day of critical conversations on migration, human rights, and the systems shaping access to protection.

Join legal advocates, scholars, practitioners, and community members as we come together to explore strategies for change, collaboration, and collective action.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[migration symposium, conference countdown, immigration law event, human rights conference, DePaul events, Chicago conference, migration justice]

Tickets for Broken by Design: Refuge and Responsibility are now being released from the Eventbrite waitlist. If you’ve signed up, check your email closely—notifications are being sent out as spots become available.

Once you receive a notification, you’ll have a limited 7 day window to claim your ticket, so be sure to complete your registration within the timeframe provided. Don’t miss your chance to join these important conversation.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[migration symposium, waitlist tickets, Eventbrite registration, immigration law event, human rights symposium, DePaul events, Chicago conference]

Refugee resettlement ecosystems are undergoing significant strain, with declining admissions and evolving policy debates reshaping traditional frameworks. This session brings together advocates to examine the pressures facing the resettlement ecosystem and the implications for organizations, practitioners, and communities. Moderated by Dina Birman, with speakers Betsy Fisher, Rachel Peric, and Emma Yaaka the panel will explore how institutions are adapting to maintain expertise while responding to ongoing challenges.

The discussion will also highlight emerging alternative pathways and community-based approaches—including rural welcoming initiatives—that are expanding access to protection and redefining how resettlement can function in the future. Participants will gain insight into how these layered strategies can sustain and strengthen refugee support systems moving forward
To register: check out the link in our bio
[refugee resettlement, migration policy, alternative pathways, community sponsorship, rural welcoming, refugee protection, human rights symposium]

Join us on May 1, 2026, for the DePaul Migration Collaborative’s bi-annual symposium, Broken by Design: Refuge and Responsibility. This one-day convening brings together legal advocates, scholars, practitioners, and community leaders to examine today’s threats to migrant rights and protections through law, policy, and community action. Through keynote sessions and breakout conversations, participants will engage with critical issues shaping migration today while exploring strategies for reform, accountability, and community-based solutions.
Earn upto 5 MCLE credits while engaging in these timely conversations. This symposium offers both critical insight and meaningful professional development for legal practitioners and advocates working to advance justice.
To register: check out the link in our bio
[migration symposium, CLE credits, immigration law, human rights conference, migrant rights, professional development, DePaul events]