CHICAGO – Around 2,000 people rallied in downtown Chicago Saturday afternoon in opposition to President Donald Trump’s threats to send federal troops into the city.
Trump protest march
What we know:
The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA), joined by organizations including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Chicago Teachers Union and GoodKids MadCity, gathered at 5 p.m. at Congress Plaza Garden, near Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue.
Organizers said the demonstration denounced what they describe as a racist pretext by Trump to escalate deportations and target immigrant communities under the guise of crime reduction.
Veronica Castro, deputy director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said, “Our job is to take to the streets, defend our space and keep each other safe.”
“Our communities are still experiencing state-sanctioned trauma as a result of this orchestrated fear campaign,” Viviana Barajas of Palenque USA said.
They marched through the Loop, stopping at the U.S. citizenship and immigration services office, the federal courthouse and paused at the foot of Trump Tower to send loud messages.
There’s been no sign of the National Guard in Chicago but the city is braced for it.
Kobi Guillory, of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repressions said, “One thing we’re not confused about is that our city is under attack. Even if we don’t see the National Guard, we’ve already being seing ICE snatching people out of their cars and invading people’s homes.”
Chicago authorities said this march is like any downtown protest, peaceful and organized.
“Our focus is to keep these people safe. As you know, we have a 60-year low in homicides. If the federal government actually wants to help, they can pour resources into our city, so we can continue on trends that we’re on,” Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood said.
The backstory:
The protest follows a Saturday morning post from Trump on Truth Social, in which he shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed in military gear styled after the film “Apocalypse Now” alongside the words “Chipocalypse Now.”
In the post, Trump wrote, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” a reference to his recent decision to rename the Department of Defense.
What they’re saying:
Illinois leaders blasted the post, with Sen. Dick Durbin calling it “disgusting” and Gov. JB Pritzker saying the president was “threatening to go to war with an American city.” Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has repeatedly opposed federal troop deployments, said Trump’s rhetoric was “beneath the honor of our nation” and amounted to an attempt to “occupy our city and break our Constitution.”
Organizers said Saturday’s demonstration builds on growing resistance to Trump’s agenda, pointing to last week’s Workers Over Billionaires rally, where thousands cheered Johnson’s declaration of “No federal troops in the city of Chicago.”
“Under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s leadership, violent crime in Chicago has reached its lowest point since 2019,” said Frank Chapman of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “The people of Chicago know Trump is a racist and a liar, and have shown militant opposition to his policies.”
The protest comes as fears of immigration enforcement operations have already led to cancellations or postponements of Mexican Independence Day festivities across the Chicago area.
The Source: The information in this article came from the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and previous FOX 32 reporting.
