Chicago – Sebtember 02, 2025
Thousands of protesters packed the streets near downtown Chicago on Monday, singing, chanting and waving signs protesting U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to flood the city with National Guard troops and federal immigration agents.
The march was one of roughly 1,000 “Workers over Billionaires” protests across the country on the U.S. Labor Day holiday. But Chicago’s demonstration had a decidedly more pointed tone as residents bristled against Trump’s promise to target Chicago next in a deployment similar to those under way in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., two other Democrat-run cities.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, speaking to the crowd, vowed that Chicago would resist federal encroachment.
“This is the city that will defend the country,” he said, receiving loud cheers from protesters waving blue-striped Chicago flags.
As the crowd wove through the city, some walking dogs and carrying children on their shoulders, diners sitting outside at local restaurants and cafes pumped their fists and cars honked in support. Organizers estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people were in attendance, though Reuters was not immediately able to verify the size with city officials.
Protesters said they were concerned by Trump’s threat to send out the National Guard and additional ICE agents.
City and state leaders have already readied measures to shield Chicago from federal troops and would likely launch a slew of lawsuits challenging a deployment, which legal experts said would violate the U.S. Constitution and a 19th-century law prohibiting the military from enforcing domestic laws.
Mayor Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday saying that Chicago police will not collaborate with federal agents or National Guard troops and directing all police officers to wear official uniforms and not to wear masks. Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups have worked to fortify their defenses amid threats of stepped-up immigration enforcement by working to hire more attorneys, staffing immigration hotlines and launching more “know your rights” training.
