Thousands protest in Chicago as Trump renews Guard threat

(NewsNation) — Tensions are high in Chicago as people brace for ramped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and a possible National Guard deployment over the weekend.

Several thousand protesters gathered in downtown Chicago on Saturday to demand an end to the president’s threats of flooding the city with immigration agents and military personnel.

Protests also erupted outside the ICE processing center in the northern suburbs of Chicago, where undocumented immigrants can be temporarily detained. The small crowd was shouting at ICE officers, and officers pushed back — literally.

Local leaders warned that at least 300 federal agents would be using the naval base as an immigration enforcement command center.

Paradegoers in the Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday handed out “know your rights” cards and whistles in case of any ICE sightings. Some said the crowd was smaller than usual due to fear, while others said it is usually a smaller parade.

All of this coincides with the city’s annual Mexican Independence Day festivities.

President Donald Trump said, “We’re going in,” in reference to a guard deployment to fight crime, but Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday there were no immediate plans to deploy the Guard to Chicago.

Trump posted on social media Saturday, saying the city was about to “find out why it’s called the Department of War,” adding he loves “the smell of deportations in the morning.”