People Without Borders, Inc. (not to be confused with the English-language name of illegal immigration advocacy organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras) is an organization based in Washington, D.C., that provides services to and seeks to assimilate recent immigrants to the United States. ¹

Originally founded in 1994 as World Class English, People Without Borders has provided English-language classes and legal, financial, and social service-related professional services for immigration, personal finance, and family needs ² to hundreds of immigrants from more than 40 countries. ³

On its website, People Without Borders says it is “not the organization supporting the caravans of Central American migrants” who are illegally entering the United States from Mexico ⁴ and states that it is not affiliated with the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders. ⁵

History and Leadership

People Without Borders (not to be confused with the English-language name of illegal immigration advocacy organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras) ⁶ was originally founded as World Class English in 1994 and offered conversational English classes through the Washington International Church. In 1997, World Class English became People Without Borders. ⁷

David Wong is the founder and chairman of People Without Borders. He is also the founding pastor of the Gaithersburg International Christian Fellowship. Previously, he was the pastor of the Washington International Church and Chinese Alliance Churches in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Wheaton, Illinois. ⁸ Wong’s daughter, Melodie Lim, worked for left-of-center activist organization Public Allies before becoming the executive director and “backbone” of People Without Borders from 1999 until 2002. ⁹

Activities and Funding

People Without Borders is a Christian-based organization ¹⁰ that has offered English classes, job services, and computer training for immigrants and international residents of Washington, D.C., since 1994. ^{11 12}

In the past, the organization has operated the Washington International Network and Services (WINS) to establish legal, financial, and social service professional services for immigration, personal finance, and family needs ¹³ for hundreds of students, immigrants, and international residents from more than 40 countries. ¹⁴

On its website, People Without Borders says it is “not the organization supporting the caravans of Central American migrants” who are illegally entering the United States from Mexico ¹⁵ and says it is not affiliated with the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders. ¹⁶

Funding

People Without Borders is largely funded by donations from churches, foundations, and individuals. ¹⁷

1. Carney, Timothy P. “’Pueblos sin Fronteras’ caravan group is not the same as the US-based People Without Borders.” Washington Examiner. April 5, 2018. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/pueblos-sin-fronteras-caravan-group-isnt-the-same-as-the-us-based-people-without-borders.
2. “WINS.” People Without Borders. October 25, 2016. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20161025191411/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/wins/.
3. “Welcome to People Without Borders.” People Without Borders. June 10, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170610223524/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/.
4.  “Home.” People Without Borders.” Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.peoplewithoutborders.org/.
5. “Home.” People Without Borders. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.peoplewithoutborders.org/.
6. ^[1] Carney, Timothy P. “’Pueblos sin Fronteras’ caravan group is not the same as the US-based People Without Borders.” Washington Examiner. April 5, 2018. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/pueblos-sin-fronteras-caravan-group-isnt-the-same-as-the-us-based-people-without-borders.
7. “People Without Borders.” GuideStar. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-2054711.
8. “David Wong.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-wong-781842b/.
9. “Melodie Lim, PHR.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodie-lim-phr-8ab27867/.
10. ^[1] “Welcome to People Without Borders.” People Without Borders. June 10, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170610223524/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/.
11. “Welcome to People Without Borders.” People Without Borders. June 10, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170610223524/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/.
12. “People Without Borders, Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2005. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/522054711/2006_07_EO%2F52-2054711_990_200512.
13. “WINS.” People Without Borders. October 25, 2016. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20161025191411/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/wins/.
14. “Welcome to People Without Borders.” People Without Borders. June 10, 2017. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170610223524/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/.
15. “Home.” People Without Borders.” Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.peoplewithoutborders.org/.
16. “Home.” People Without Borders. Accessed December 23, 2021. https://www.peoplewithoutborders.org/.
17. “Donations.” People Without Borders. October 25, 2016. Accessed via Web Archive December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20161025141654/http://peoplewithoutborders.org/donations/.