Hundreds gather to protest ICE, federal push to deploy military to Illinois

Through the same downtown streets federal immigration agents patrolled over the weekend, chants of “No ICE, no troops!” rang out Tuesday evening as hundreds marched against President Donald Trump’s recent surge in immigration enforcement locally.

A day after Gov. JB Pritzker announced that federal officials are seeking to deploy troops to Illinois, about 300 demonstrators gathered in Chicago to protest against the heightened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and troops coming to the city.

For about an hour, demonstrators spoke and chanted along Wacker Drive near Michigan Avenue before marching down Michigan toward the Water Tower.

Brenda Ascencio, an immigration attorney who lives near the Loop, went out to the protest with her husband after work.

“I’m a child of immigrant parents,” the 25-year-old said. “I’m a first-generation Mexican American. … Seeing our communities affected in the way that they have and seeing everyone suffering and just living in fear has been devastating.”

Pritzker on Monday said he received a report that the Trump administration was looking to send 100 military troops to Illinois. On Tuesday, the president told top military brass that American cities run by Democrats should serve as “training grounds” for troops, as the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a highly anticipated meeting with more than 800 military leaders in Virginia.

When Christine Busby heard that Trump was seeking to deploy troops to Chicago, it made her weep, the 56-year-old said as she walked down Michigan Avenue beside her mother.

“This is horrifying,” she said. “We cannot have this in our country. We cannot have this in our city.”

Around her, protesters continued to chant.

“Show me what community looks like!” they called out. “This is what community looks like.”

tkenny@chicagotribune.com