Demonstrators march through the Loop against ICE arrests: ‘I’m scared for my family’
The downtown protest had grown by the time the crowd started marching north on Michigan Avenue, taking up several blocks of the closed street. Some protesters were energized by the crowd. Others said they felt frustrated that a protest was even necessary.
A U.S. Army veteran who did a tour in Iraq said he was reminded of his military oath as Trump threatens to bring the National Guard to Chicago and other U.S. cities. The man, who declined to give his name, said he would tell National Guard members who are conflicted about Trump’s orders to “remember your oath.”
He said he was an immigrant himself and the United States “adopted” him when he moved here.
“I feel frustration, I feel sadness,” he said. “I’m scared for my family, I’m not scared for myself.”
Another protester, Ashley Galamback, brought a sign that read “without due process, no one is safe!” She criticized some reported arrests and deportations that lawyers and advocates have alleged violated due process rights.
Tourists and employees at some nearby shops watched — or filmed and cheered — as the march made its way down Michigan Avenue and along the river to march south on State Street. Many in the crowd raised their middle fingers and chanted “shame” as they passed Trump International Hotel & Tower.
David Villegas showed up to support his friends who he said have been affected by Trump’s anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric. By the time he was within view of the Trump tower, he jumped up and down with both middle fingers in the air.
“During Trump’s first term, I never felt like doing it,” he said. “But now with the second term and what he’s been doing recently, I felt the power to do so, just to take away the stress.”
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