Laura Rodríguez Presa

Volunteer Erika Villegas arrives with apples, bread, ham and cheese to pass out to migrants as they struggle with the rain and cooler temperatures outside Chicago's District 8 police station on Sept. 11, 2023.

City ID card event cancellations frustrate migrants desperate for official identification

March 11, 2024 at 12:22 p.m.

Before even crossing the U.S. border, Carolina Olachea knew she wanted to be a Chicagoan. The 38-year-old from Venezuela heard Chicago was a sanctuary city that could grant her the...

Diana Vera combs daughter Ana's hair as the extended family of five prepares to leave the Chicago Police Department's 1st District station en route to the Greyhound station on Nov. 2, 2023.

Migrant family journeys back to Venezuela, more leaving Chicago as winter looms: ‘The American Dream doesn’t exist anymore’

March 11, 2024 at 12:22 p.m.

Over the past five months since arriving in Chicago, Andrea Carolina Sevilla's parents have been unable to enroll her in school even though the reason they left everything behind in...

Jessica Torres, right, with her son Jason and sister Gladys Martinez, makes a sign of the cross after decorating her son Chris Jonathan Torres's grave with items for Day of the Dead memorials at All Saints Cemetery Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, in Des Plaines. Chris Jonathan Torres, 19, the oldest of Jessica Torres's six children, died in June of 2021. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

‘No hay día que no piense en él’: El duelo de una madre se convierte en celebración en el Día de Muertos

April 15, 2024 at 3:44 p.m.

Aunque su hijo mayor murió hace más de dos años, Jessica Torres espera su visita cada 2 de noviembre. Se sienta frente a la ofrenda, un altar que instala en...

Jessica Torres, right, with her son Jason and sister Gladys Martinez, makes a sign of the cross after decorating the grave of her son Chris Jonathan Torres for Day of the Dead at All Saints Cemetery on Nov. 1, 2023, in Des Plaines.

‘There’s not a day I don’t think about him’: A mother’s grief turns into a celebration on Day of the Dead

November 2, 2023 at 12:39 p.m.

Even though her oldest son died more than two years ago, Jessica Torres waits for him to visit every Nov. 2. She sits in front of the ofrenda — an...

Yessica Karolina Badell Palmar, right, a migrant from Venezuela, is seen in her tent outside the Chicago police 1st District station on South State Street as as cold temperatures take hold on Oct. 30, 2023.

Freezing temperatures, uncertainty and concern among migrants living outside Chicago police stations: ‘How are we going to survive winter here?’

March 11, 2024 at 12:29 p.m.

Thousands of migrants sleeping at police stations woke up to freezing cold conditions on Halloween morning as city officials, volunteers and faith-based organizations scrambled to find warmth Tuesday for a...

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City ID card event cancellations frustrate migrants desperate for official identification

Migrant family journeys back to Venezuela, more leaving Chicago as winter looms: ‘The American Dream doesn’t exist anymore’

‘No hay día que no piense en él’: El duelo de una madre se convierte en celebración en el Día de Muertos

‘There’s not a day I don’t think about him’: A mother’s grief turns into a celebration on Day of the Dead

Freezing temperatures, uncertainty and concern among migrants living outside Chicago police stations: ‘How are we going to survive winter here?’

La primera nevada de Chicago para muchos de los inmigrantes que duermen a la intemperie: ‘El frío lo traspasa todo’

‘Love is forever:’ Mexican musician Marco Antonio Solis talks about his bond to Chicago

Protesters scuffle with police ahead of emotional community meeting over tent city for migrants in Brighton Park

Los voluntarios ayudan a los inmigrantes a buscar una vivienda permanente mientras Chicago se esfuerza por dar abasto

Volunteers help migrants in search for permanent housing as Chicago struggles to keep up