“F ICE!” Chant Thousands Marching in Chicago Against Trump’s Plan to Send Federal Troops

September 6 2025 CHICAGO — Thousands of people marched through downtown Chicago on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s threats to deploy federal forces to the city.

The demonstration, organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda, and joined by groups including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Chicago Teachers Union, GoodKids MadCity, with event begining at 5 p.m. at Congress Plaza Garden near Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue.

Organizers said they opposed Trump’s plan, arguing it would escalate deportations and target immigrant communities under the pretext of crime reduction.

Earlier in the day, more than a hundred people gathered  outside Naval Station in Great Lakes, North Chicago, to protest the Trump administration’s plan to deploy federal agents to the Chicago area for expanded immigration enforcement.

The march took place across the street from the base, where demonstrators voiced opposition to using it as a staging point for operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security.

North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. said earlier in the week that about 300 federal agents were expected to arrive at the base. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker noted that agents could be assembled by Friday, with operations beginning Saturday, though his office had not received official confirmation from the White House.

Among those attending was North Chicago resident Lina Alvarez, who said: “I’m standing out here because a lot of people I know and love they’re too scared to be out here or they can’t be out here, so I decided to come out here and be the voice for them.”

Alvarez, an Army veteran who served four deployments, added that this was not what she wanted to return home to.

The demonstration began around noon and was briefly disrupted by a few counter-protesters.