Many thousands marched in solidarity through downtown Chicago over the weekend to denounce President Donald Trump’s threat to send deportation forces, National Guard troops, and potentially active-duty military into the city. Protesters carried signs declaring “National Guard Stay Out of Chicago!”, “ICE Out of Chicago!”, “No Trump! No Troops!”, “No Nazis – No Kings”, and “Rise Up! Fight Back!”
The march was organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. At a rally ahead of the demonstration, Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain of Live Free Illinois accused the president of stripping communities of essential resources while pouring billions into federal enforcement. “Trump has spent billions on federal guards and the militarization of our community, pouring money into weapons and intimidation instead of investing in schools, hospitals, jobs, and housing,” she said. “He has stripped us of vital resources meant to help us live, only to use them to try to break our spirits.”
Trump escalated his rhetoric on Saturday, threatening to show Chicago “why it’s called the Department of War.” He also posted a meme from the Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now featuring himself as Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore and writing: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.” The president’s words sparked alarm across Illinois’ leadership. Governor JB Pritzker responded bluntly: “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal.”
Trump’s border adviser Tom Homan suggested that raids could soon follow in multiple cities across the country. “You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country,” he said, adding that National Guard troop deployments are “always on the table.”
In Chicago, evidence of federal preparations has already appeared. Fencing was erected overnight around the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. The New York Times reported that Department of Homeland Security officials “would arrive at the Naval Station Great Lakes this week and that there would be 30 days of operations in the Chicago area.” Illinois’ two Democratic senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with Congressman Brad Schneider, attempted to access the naval base for answers but were turned away. Durbin described the encounter: “They ended up saying they were unavailable and that they were locking the doors to the building that’s being considered, and we wouldn’t be able to enter it and see it. This kind of secrecy shouldn’t be part of our government.”
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that “230 agents, at least some of whom work for US Customs and Border Protection, are coming from Los Angeles, where an immigration blitz this summer spurred protests that pushed Trump to call in the National Guard.”
Local officials have prepared for legal challenges. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order targeting what he called Trump’s “tyranny.” Governor Pritzker pledged, “we’re going to immediately go to court if National Guard or other troops are deployed to the city of Chicago.”
The potential deployment comes at great cost. The nonpartisan National Priorities Project estimates that placing National Guard troops in Chicago could cost taxpayers nearly $1.6 million per day. Critics argue that the spending highlights misplaced federal priorities.
Already, the threat of raids has disrupted community life. Organizers canceled El Grito Chicago, the city’s annual Mexican Independence Day festival, citing risks to immigrant families. “It was a painful decision, but holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake—and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take,” they said. But other traditions continue. Organizers of the 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade vowed to move forward. One parade leader declared: “Our existence is our resistance.”
Volunteers have begun patrolling neighborhoods for signs of ICE agents. Demonstrators gathered on overpasses in Wilmette and Evanston holding signs against federal presence, while others protested at a facility in Broadview expected to serve as a processing hub for detainees.
Chicago officials also point to Trump’s cuts to federal law enforcement budgets. “Why did Trump cut $468 million from ATF’s budget in his nasty, signature bill? Why did he cut funding for the agency responsible for getting guns off our streets by 29%? Why did he cut 1,465 positions from an agency that is so critical to reducing gun violence?” Mayor Johnson asked.
Advocates for gun safety argue that federal reform would address violence more effectively than militarization. Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois, stated: “Chicago’s gun violence problem is directly related to the availability of illegal guns on our streets. Illinois has made significant progress in passing commonsense gun laws with the help of GIFFORDS, Brady, and March for Our Lives, and these reforms have helped prevent access to illegal weapons.”
She added: “These efforts have contributed to Chicago’s reduced crime rates, with the city recently experiencing the fewest summer murders in 60 years. But without meaningful reform at the federal level, guns will continue to cross into our state, and violence will persist. If the White House wants to get serious about violence, it can start by supporting gun safety efforts instead of the gun lobby.”
For now, Chicagoans continue to mobilize. Mass protests, legal preparations, and community vigilance underscore both the city’s resistance to federal intrusion and the uncertainty about what comes next.
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