Demonstrators march through downtown during a protest against President Donald Trump's immigration policies on September 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The Trump administration has threatened a surge in ICE raids in the Chicago area that was expected to begin today.
'No Trump! No Troops!' Thousands March in Chicago as President Threatens 'War'
"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."
Many thousands marched in solidarity through downtown Chicago over the weekend to denounce the growing threat of President Donald Trump's authoritarianism, with the Midwest's largest city his latest target.
Organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, city residents demonstrated in droves on Saturday afternoon, walking down Michigan Avenue carrying signs that read: "National Guard Stay Out of Chicago!"; "ICE Out of Chicago!"; "No Trump! No Troops!"; "No Nazis - No Kings"; and "Rise Up! Fight Back!"
At a rally ahead of the march, Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain of Live Free Illinois, a member of the coalition behind the march, denounced Trump's threat to send a large-scale deportation force and National Guard troops to the city as well as the president's wider far-right agenda.
"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," Bates-Chamberlain said, according to Chicago's Channel 5 news. "He has stripped us of vital resources meant to help us live, only to use them to try to break our spirits."
Chicago protests against Trump
Trump on Saturday threatened to show the people of Chicago "why it's called the Department of War," a reference to the recent rebranding of the Department of Defense. The president shared a meme from the Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now," with himself superimposed on the war-hungry Lieutenant Colonel, and wrote: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning."
Even for Trump, known for his repulsive comments and increasingly autocratic behavior, the open threat to make war on a US city—despite later efforts to walk it back or efforts to gaslight people into thinking it didn't mean what it clearly meant—was seen as a chilling escalation in rhetoric and intent.
"The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in response to the post. "This is not a joke. This is not normal."
On Sunday, Trump's so-called Border Czar Tom Homan appeared on television and said, "You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country" in the week ahead, threatening immigrant communities with the likelihood of raids and saying National Guard troop deployments to back up those operations are "always on the table."
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Many thousands marched in solidarity through downtown Chicago over the weekend to denounce the growing threat of President Donald Trump's authoritarianism, with the Midwest's largest city his latest target.
Organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, city residents demonstrated in droves on Saturday afternoon, walking down Michigan Avenue carrying signs that read: "National Guard Stay Out of Chicago!"; "ICE Out of Chicago!"; "No Trump! No Troops!"; "No Nazis - No Kings"; and "Rise Up! Fight Back!"
At a rally ahead of the march, Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain of Live Free Illinois, a member of the coalition behind the march, denounced Trump's threat to send a large-scale deportation force and National Guard troops to the city as well as the president's wider far-right agenda.
"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," Bates-Chamberlain said, according to Chicago's Channel 5 news. "He has stripped us of vital resources meant to help us live, only to use them to try to break our spirits."
Chicago protests against Trump
Trump on Saturday threatened to show the people of Chicago "why it's called the Department of War," a reference to the recent rebranding of the Department of Defense. The president shared a meme from the Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now," with himself superimposed on the war-hungry Lieutenant Colonel, and wrote: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning."
Even for Trump, known for his repulsive comments and increasingly autocratic behavior, the open threat to make war on a US city—despite later efforts to walk it back or efforts to gaslight people into thinking it didn't mean what it clearly meant—was seen as a chilling escalation in rhetoric and intent.
"The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in response to the post. "This is not a joke. This is not normal."
On Sunday, Trump's so-called Border Czar Tom Homan appeared on television and said, "You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country" in the week ahead, threatening immigrant communities with the likelihood of raids and saying National Guard troop deployments to back up those operations are "always on the table."
Many thousands marched in solidarity through downtown Chicago over the weekend to denounce the growing threat of President Donald Trump's authoritarianism, with the Midwest's largest city his latest target.
Organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, city residents demonstrated in droves on Saturday afternoon, walking down Michigan Avenue carrying signs that read: "National Guard Stay Out of Chicago!"; "ICE Out of Chicago!"; "No Trump! No Troops!"; "No Nazis - No Kings"; and "Rise Up! Fight Back!"
At a rally ahead of the march, Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain of Live Free Illinois, a member of the coalition behind the march, denounced Trump's threat to send a large-scale deportation force and National Guard troops to the city as well as the president's wider far-right agenda.
"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," Bates-Chamberlain said, according to Chicago's Channel 5 news. "He has stripped us of vital resources meant to help us live, only to use them to try to break our spirits."
Chicago protests against Trump
Trump on Saturday threatened to show the people of Chicago "why it's called the Department of War," a reference to the recent rebranding of the Department of Defense. The president shared a meme from the Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now," with himself superimposed on the war-hungry Lieutenant Colonel, and wrote: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning."
Even for Trump, known for his repulsive comments and increasingly autocratic behavior, the open threat to make war on a US city—despite later efforts to walk it back or efforts to gaslight people into thinking it didn't mean what it clearly meant—was seen as a chilling escalation in rhetoric and intent.
"The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in response to the post. "This is not a joke. This is not normal."
On Sunday, Trump's so-called Border Czar Tom Homan appeared on television and said, "You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country" in the week ahead, threatening immigrant communities with the likelihood of raids and saying National Guard troop deployments to back up those operations are "always on the table."