Thousands of protesters gathered under Alexander Caldwell’s famous “The Flamingo” arch in Federal Plaza on Tuesday night, June 10, to protest the Trump administration’s immigrant policies, including ICE raids and deportations.
To chants of “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” “Move cops, get out the way” and “Power to the people; no one is illegal,” the marchers made their way to Grant Park and then onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive during rush hour, disrupting traffic.
Handmade signs waved above the heads of protestors reading, “Resist,” “Nobody is illegal” and “Let in the light.”
ABC 7 reported that at one point, a car drove through a crowd of demonstrators, but no one was hurt.
Orson Orozco, an actor who has been living in Chicago for a decade, attended the gathering in support of the immigrant community.
“They are not alone,” he said. “I came from a family of immigrants, and I won’t leave any of them alone.”
Mark Kuehner and Kathy Kuehner, a retired couple, came from Blue Island to attend the protest and sat in folding chairs holding signs.
“I am really proud of these young people,” Kathy Kuehner said. “They are bright, they’re educated and they are standing up for the rights of everyone. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”
Mark Kuehner said that it’s a time in America to stand up for immigrants’ rights and the right to protest. He said that the way immigrants have been treated is “terrible.”
“It’s not new with Trump, but he’s doing a bunch of extra terrible things,” he said. “They are just plain cruel and illegal, and we got to put a stop to it.”
Similar protests have taken place across the country — and in the city — in recent days in growing outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the president’s decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles.
While most protests have been peaceful, some have been more violent and have resulted in looting, property damage and clashes with law enforcement.
At the latest protest in Chicago on Tuesday night, Elizabeth Albert, a resident of the Hyde Park neighborhood, said she attended the protest to speak for those who are afraid. “For me, it’s personal,” she said. “I have a family member who is undocumented, and is the father of two sweet, American little babies.”
Albert said they haven’t been targeted by ICE yet. “I am grateful that that has not happened, but I am fearful,” she said.
Albert held two signs that read “My father did not risk his life fighting Nazis in WWII so that I could bow to a neo-facist” and “Forcing people into the shadows has never made anyone safe.”
Miel Ortiz, a first-generation descendant of immigrants, said that she felt “warmhearted” seeing people of all nationalities come out and support the cause. “I’m really proud of everyone,” she said.
She said immigrants don’t deserve to be targeted by the federal government.“They have done nothing but work hard,” she said.
The protest at Federal Plaza was sponsored by the Chicago branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which is a nationwide organization with branches in different cities, organized multiple of the same rallies all across the United States yesterday, including Atlanta, Denver, Boston and Washington D.C.
Earlier in the day in Chicago, protestors also gathered at Adams and Wabash and also at Chicago’s Immigration Court on East Monroe Street, WBEZ reported.
Last week, ICE targeted people checking in at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the South Loop.
More protests are expected this weekend, on Saturday, June 14, including in Chicago. The “No Kings” marches will take place all over the country in multiple states in response to Trump’s military parade to be held in Washington, D.C.
Additional reporting by Anastaia Mccarthy
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
