Chicago’s Mexican community is cancelling key Independence Day celebrations as Donald Trump prepares to send federal immigration agents and National Guard troops to the city.
Organizers said safety concerns forced them to pull the plug on multiple September 16 festivities, which normally draw tens of thousands of people.
Chicago is home to one of the largest Mexican communities in the U.S., making up 21% of the city’s population. Every year, parades and festivals mark the holiday. But this year, Trump’s vow to “go in” has changed everything.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 230 federal agents, mostly from Customs and Border Protection, will arrive from Los Angeles to ramp up immigration enforcement. Trump has repeatedly called Chicago “the most dangerous city in the world,” a claim that contradicts official crime data showing homicides are down from last year.
At least three major events have been scrapped or delayed. El Grito Chicago, which drew 24,000 people last year and was set for September 13-14, was canceled. “Holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake,” organizers said. Waukegan’s Independence Day parade was pushed to November, and the Latin Heritage Fest in Wauconda was canceled outright.
Despite the cancellations, thousands gathered downtown Saturday night to protest Trump’s plan. Demonstrators chanted “ICE escucha estamos en la lucha,” “Viva Palestina,” and “Donald Trump you stupid clown, you aren’t welcome in our town.” The crowd marched to Trump Tower, flipping off the building and chanting profanities.
Fear of deportations has spread through immigrant neighborhoods. Danae Kovac of the Hana Center, a local immigration rights group, said many residents were too scared to join the rally. “We’ve seen an uptick in fear,” she said.
Illinois hosts about 550,000 undocumented immigrants, according to Pew Research. Governor JB Pritzker accused White House adviser Stephen Miller of deliberately targeting Chicago during Mexican Independence Day month. “We have reason to believe this was planned,” he said.
Community members called the cancellations a painful blow. “It feels like a slap in the face,” said 25-year-old Galiela Mendez. Still, parades went ahead Saturday morning in some predominantly Mexican neighborhoods, though residents admitted they felt uneasy.
Trump fueled the tension further with a post on Truth Social. He declared Chicago was about to learn “why it’s called the Department of War,” a name he authorized for the Pentagon in a new executive order. He added a movie reference: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”
Pritzker shot back on X: “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.”
