Independent nonprofit news outlet Documented has emerged as a critical voice in the rapidly shifting landscape of immigration policy and coverage in the United States. Founded by Mazin Sidahmed and Max Siegelbaum in 2018, this outlet focuses on immigrant communities in New York for them to receive news that directly impacts their lives.

Sidahmed and Siegelbaum met while reporting in the Middle East. Both had similar professional backgrounds and frequently covered migration issues, Mazin based out of Beirut and Max in Cairo. By 2015, life and assignments had brought them both to New York City. There, they grew frustrated by the dominant media narrative on immigration, one that focused almost entirely on the US Southern border and on national politics, while neglecting the lived experiences of immigrants, leading them to create this nonprofit news outlet.

Mazin and Max decided to launch Documented to fill that gap, not just by reporting on immigrant communities but by directly serving them with helpful resources and critical news. According to its annual report, most of Documented’s revenue comes from philanthropic foundations with a small amount coming from advertising and individual donations.

Through innovative engagement strategies such as WhatsApp and WeChat channels tailored for Spanish- and Chinese-speaking audiences, as well as a Nextdoor account for the Caribbean immigrant community, the newsroom has built deep trust and provided vital, actionable information.

After Donald Trump’s inauguration, and as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intensified enforcement actions against immigrants, Documented’s reporting has become more urgent than ever. Their team has been at the forefront of covering cases like the arrest of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, the suspension of Green Card applications for Refugees and Asylees and how people think about ICE arrests.

These aggressive enforcement measures have sent shockwaves through immigrant communities across New York and the entire country, creating a climate of fear even among those who have followed all legal procedures to establish their lives in the US.

Read the full article about supporting immigrant communities by Maurice Oniang'o at Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.