Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter

MemberSuite, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidized medical, dental, and health

20 days vacation per year

10 sick/mental wellness days

10 paid holidays

Six weeks paid family leave

Borderless 403(b) retirement plan

Sabbatical after five years

Job summary

Borderless Magazine NFP seeks a Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter in Chicago, hybrid work. The role leads coverage of immigration enforcement, detention, deportation, and related court cases, focusing on how policies affect immigrant communities in the Chicagoland area.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in journalism, strong immigration-law understanding, and the ability to cultivate sources and break sensitive news.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional journalism experience, with demonstrated expertise in immigration, legal, or investigative reporting.
• Based in or willing to relocate to Chicago, Illinois.
• Proven ability to cultivate sources and break news in sensitive, complex subject areas.
• Strong understanding of immigration law, enforcement procedures, and court systems.
• Excellent writing skills making complex legal issues accessible to general audiences.
• Experience reporting on marginalized communities with ethical rigor.
• Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines.
• Commitment to accuracy, fairness, and ethical journalism practices.

Responsibilities

• Produce accountability-driven reporting on immigration enforcement, ICE operations, and court proceedings.
• Develop and maintain sources including immigrants, attorneys, advocates, law enforcement, and court personnel.
• Cover federal immigration policy developments and their local impact.
• Investigate systemic issues within immigration enforcement and judicial systems.
• Attend court hearings, community meetings, and relevant events.
• Collaborate with editors and reporters on enterprise and investigative projects.
• Engage readers through events and social media; mentor junior reporters and contribute to coverage strategy.

Skills

Investigative journalism

Immigration reporting

Source cultivation

Editorial collaboration

Job description

Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter

Position: Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter

Company: Borderless Magazine NFP

Status: Full-Time Exempt Employee

Location: Chicago with hybrid remote and in-person work

Compensation: $70,000 to $80,000+ Plus benefits; Salary is contingent on experience

Application Due Date: Rolling

Approximate Start Date: March 2, 2026

Borderless Magazine is an award-winning nonprofit news outlet that is reimagining immigration journalism for a more just and equitable future. We report and publish stories in both English and Spanish through our online publication. We work with immigrants and their allies to tell their own stories, and we train journalists to report on immigration issues. We won the 2024 Next Challenge’s “Future of Local Journalism” award for our community-centered reporting. Find out more atwww.borderlessmag.org .

Borderless is seeking a Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter who will lead our coverage of immigration enforcement, detention, deportation proceedings, and related court cases, with a focus on how federal and local policies impact immigrant communities in the Chicagoland area.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to join a diverse leadership team at an organization that values work-life balance. This is a new role, and we are seeking an individual who is ready to hit the ground running.

Areas of Responsibility

• Produce compelling, accountability-driven reporting on immigration enforcement practices, ICE operations, and immigration court proceedings
• Develop and maintain relationships with sources, including immigrants, attorneys, advocates, law enforcement officials, and court personnel
• Cover federal immigration policy developments, their local implementation and impact
• Investigate systemic issues within the immigration enforcement and judicial systems
• Attend court hearings, community meetings, and other relevant events
• Collaborate with editors and other reporters on enterprise and investigative projects
• Engage with readers and community members through events and social media
• Mentor junior reporters and contribute to the newsroom's immigration coverage strategy

The Approach

• Manages a high volume of work efficiently: Able to juggle competing demands and prioritize without sacrificing quality. Plans backward to make deadlines.
• Attention to detail: Notices and fixes errors that others might overlook. Acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities. Has a track record of leaving things better than they found them.
• Strong sense of ownership and resilience: Plans ahead and finds alternative paths, when needed, to get to the finish line. Bounces back from setbacks and rejections. Holds a high bar even when things are hectic.
• Proactive problem solving: Proactively develop solutions to challenges, including constantly looking at big-picture progress and flagging any potential upcoming challenges in the organization overall.
• Flexibility: Ready to take advantage of unexpected opportunities; quickly adapts as things change.

Requirements

Our ideal candidate will:

• Minimum 10+ years of professional journalism experience, with demonstrated expertise in immigration, legal, or investigative reporting
• Must be based in or willing to relocate to Chicago, Illinois
• Proven ability to cultivate sources and break news in sensitive, complex subject areas
• Strong understanding of immigration law, enforcement procedures, and court systems
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to make complex legal and policy issues accessible to general audiences
• Experience reporting on marginalized communities with cultural sensitivity and ethical rigor
• Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines
• Commitment to accuracy, fairness, and ethical journalism practices

We know some great candidates may not precisely fit into this job description or may possess important skills we haven’t considered. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience covering federal courts or criminal justice systems
• Familiarity with Chicago's immigrant communities and local immigration enforcement landscape
• Data journalism skills and experience with public records requests
• Multimedia storytelling capabilities

The SeniorImmigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter will have access to:

• Subsidized medical, dental, and health insurance for themselves and their spouse/children
• 20 days of vacation accrued per year
• 10 days of sick/mental wellness days
• 10 paid holidays plus the week between Christmas and New Year’s off
• Six weeks of paid family leave, plus additional subsidized leave available through short-term disability insurance
• The opportunity to invest in Borderless’ 403(b) retirement plan
• A one-month paid sabbatical for personal enrichment after working full-time at Borderless for five years

Borderless Magazine operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The majority of the Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter’s work will happen during these hours, but the deputy editor will occasionally need to work evenings or weekends for a special event or deadline.

Location

The Senior Immigration Enforcement & Courts Reporter will be expected to work in person at Borderless’ office in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood at least twice per week.

• People-Centered: We approach our coworkers and the people we interview, train, and mentor with humility and an appreciation of their innate human dignity. We never deceive each other or the people who entrust us with their stories.
• Community First: We are deeply connected to immigrant community members. We prioritize the expertise, desires and needs of immigrants and those who care about them.
• Resilience: We see strength and power in each other and uplift one another in everything we do. We see suffering in the world, but find ways to take care of each other — and ourselves — as we serve our community.
• Fearless: We bravely report the truth of our communities. We are not beholden to political or financial interests. We hold ourselves and others accountable as we help build a more just future.

Equity: We strive to create spaces and opportunities for people who do not traditionally have power or a platform in the journalism industry, particularly BIPOC and immigrant community members.

Borderless Magazine is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities, including immigrants, women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, older individuals and people with disabilities, to apply.