Authors:

Asnah Ahmed

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About Paper:

Our research project examines how nonprofit organizations and mutual aid groups support asylum seekers and recently arrived immigrants in Chicago. In recent years, the city has experienced an increase in newly arrived migrants, placing significant pressure on community-based organizations to provide support where formal institutional systems are limited. To better understand these efforts, we conducted ten semi-structured, in-depth interviews with volunteers and nonprofit workers actively involved in asylum seeker assistance. Interviews explored participants' motivations for involvement, the services they provide, the challenges they encounter, and how political and social changes have shaped their work. Data was collected through interviews conducted both online and in person. Using qualitative coding and thematic analysis, three major themes emerged across participant experiences: limited resources, increasing demand for assistance, and organizational adaptation to local needs. Participants consistently described shortages of legal assistance, employment opportunities, housing access, and essential supplies. Many interviewees emphasized uncertainty surrounding work authorization and access to stable services, which increased vulnerability among newly arrived immigrants. Participants also described a growing demand for transportation coordination, food distribution, youth programming, and protection from discrimination. In response to these challenges, nonprofit and mutual aid groups demonstrated flexibility and innovation. Organizations adapted by shifting toward home delivery systems, organizing rapid grassroots fundraising initiatives, and using virtual communication tools such as WeChat to coordinate services and maintain communication with immigrant families. These findings align with existing research on immigrant precarity, community resilience, and grassroots organizational responses to structural gaps left by formal institutions. Our interviews suggest that horizontal organizing practices and consistent communication strengthen trust between volunteers and immigrant communities. Overall, the study highlights the essential role nonprofit and mutual aid networks play within Chicago's asylum seeker support system while emphasizing growing pressures as community needs continue evolving. POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Source:

Loyola University Chicago

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Co-authors:

Asnah Ahmed