Hundreds of people marched Thursday evening through downtown Chicago as part of continuing nationwide demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s months-long campaign against immigration.
Demonstrators rallied around 4 p.m. at Congress Plaza near Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive before marching to Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave., about a mile north, chanting, “Whose country? Our country!” and “Donald Trump, you’re a clown. Immigrants will take you down!”
During the rally, Veronica Castro, the deputy director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights, called for an end to the immigration enforcement raids and urged community members to stay vigilant for any Immigration and Customs Enforcement sightings.
“Together, we have made Chicago a model for immigrant justice, and today we stand at another historic moment as ICE is raiding our communities and trying to terrorize us,” she said. “They want to see us afraid but it’s clear we are not alone. Our communities are here, diverse, determined and unafraid. And if there is one thing I know, it’s that we keep us safe and we will not stop.”
Many protesters carried red signs reading, “Stop deportations. Defend immigrants,” and other signs included messages reading, “Stop the Trump agenda.”
Ariana Cabrera, 24, walked alongside protesters while pushing her 1-year-old daughter in her stroller.
Cabrera said the recent string of deportations have brought fear to her family. Her daughter’s father is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipient, and Cabrera said they worry his Dreamer status will be revoked.
“If they take it away and he’s deported, my daughter will lose her dad,” she said. “I’m here to be his voice and for others in my community.”
Cabrera, of Back of the Yards, said she will continue to attend protests so long as immigrants continue to be targeted.
Mia Contreras, 21, of Libertyville says she turned out for Thursday’s demonstration for her undocumented friends who could not attend. She called on President Trump to “stop running America like it’s a dictatorship. … Immigrants make the USA and now we’re trying to kick them out. It’s just sad.”
Chip Mitchell/WBEZ
Mia Contreras, 21, of Libertyville said she turned out for her undocumented friends who could not attend. She called on Trump to “stop running America like it’s a dictatorship. … Immigrants make the USA and now we’re trying to kick them out. It’s just sad.”
Organizers for the rally and march included the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Warehouse Workers for Justice, and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council.
Thursday’s protest remained largely conflict-free. That’s in contrast to two rallies Tuesday when thousands of people crowded the streets downtown and a few scuffles between protesters and police officers resulted in 17 people arrested. A motorist also plowed through that protest, hitting a woman.
Advocates called the Chicago Police Department’s response to Tuesday’s rallies “aggressive and violent.”
But Thursday’s event was seemingly more organized. A few dozen police officers on bicycles followed alongside protesters as they marched through the streets, and city vehicles blocked access to downtown bridges. The crowds also caused 15 CTA bus routes to be rerouted around the Loop for about an hour and a half, but trains were not impacted.
Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids have increasingly emerged across the country in the last week. In Los Angeles, protests intensified last weekend after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to the city without California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authorization. Trump deployed another 2,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to the city Monday.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday directing Trump to return control of the National Guard to California.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday called on Chicagoans to “rise up in this moment” against Trump’s mass deportation effort, while acknowledging that Trump could deploy military members to Chicago like he did in Los Angeles.
Demonstrations are expected to continue, with organizations planning “No Kings” protests across the country Saturday, countering a military parade Trump has planned to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, which also lands on the president’s 79th birthday.
At Thursday’s rally in Chicago, Nelson Romero, 27, said he showed up to support those affected by the recent raids.
“Choosing not to do anything is also an action,” said Romero, who moved to Chicago from Georgia a year ago. “I was lucky enough to be born here, but this is what I can do to support other people and do my part in standing up for injustices.”
Romero said he was prepared to continue protesting the raids but hoped the situation wouldn’t escalate given Trump’s apparent plan to send tactical ICE agents to Chicago.
“If Trump sends out any more ICE agents out here, I think the people need to be ready to fight back,” he said.
Romero, who lives in Pilsen, called Trump’s recent actions “inhumane.”
“They are targeting hardworking people who just want a better life for themselves and their families,” he said. “It’s hard watching it happen.”