PILSEN – Rather than stay home out of fear, Pilsen’s annual Mexican Independence Day parade drew a crowd of proud revelers Saturday despite threats of more federal immigration raids and a president who joked that morning about going to war with Chicago.
The parade stepped off noon Saturday and followed a brief press conference from Sen. Dick Durbin, who denounced an inflammatory Truth Social post from President Donald Trump. The event notably did not see a federal law enforcement presence.
Trump evoked the 1979 film “Apocalypse Now” by posting “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning …’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” accompanied by an illustration of the president squatting in an army uniform against the backdrop of a war-torn Chicago.
“Be careful, but don’t be afraid,” Durbin said. “What I’ve found in traveling through the neighborhoods in the last few days in Chicago, the Hispanic neighborhoods, is there is a genuine fear of what President Trump is going to do next. His tweet this morning was disgusting. To suggest that the troops are going to be deployed in Chicago, or that the department of war is going to be engaged is an embarrassment.”
Governor JB Pritzker also expressed outrage with Trump’s post in his own missive on social media.
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city,” he posted. “This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Fear was not the mood of Saturday’s celebration in Pilsen. Hundreds participated in the parade and thousands more crowded West 18th Street’s sidewalks from South Newberry to Wolcott Avenues to celebrate Mexican heritage. Mexicans represent Chicago’s largest immigrant group and make up over one-fifth of the city’s population, according to recent census estimates.
“Joy is resistance,” said Leo Quintero, co-founder of Peace in Pilsen, a community advocacy group that marched in the parade. “What they want us to do is hide. What they want us to do is be quiet, and we’re showing that we’re not going to do that.
“We’re showing that we’re being happy, that we’re going to be together and build community out here, wearing masks and dancing and showing what it is that makes us us. We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.
Performers danced in traditional Mexican masks and costumes as floats, low-riders and men on horseback passed by large crowds of onlookers waving Mexican flags. Shopkeepers and neighbors stood out on their stoops to take in the festivities.
Impassioned chants of “¡Viva México!” filled the air as the procession moved west on 18th Street.
“I’ve been going here since I was a kid,” said Chris Martinez, who waved a flag while wearing a traditional poncho on his back. “I love seeing my people come together, it’s inspiring. I remember getting here probably an hour before the event would start. If it was cold, we would always get some Dunkin’ Donuts, but if it was a little warmer, we’d get a lot of reposado [tequila], some chips and just chill out here on chairs.”
Lupe Tovar, an organizer and Pilsen resident who helped watch out for federal agents on Saturday, speculated that the neighbors who did turn out wanted to make a statement against President Trump’s threats by celebrating their backgrounds.
“There’s a lot of fear right now,” she said. “But this community won’t back down.”
Other organizers said that Saturday’s crowd was smaller than parades in previous years, likely because many stayed home out of caution, they told the Chicago Tribune.
Federal agents — who are staying at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago — are expected to focus on making immigration arrests and conducting raids in and around Chicago for more than a month. Trump has also said he is considering sending the National Guard to the city, though it is unclear when that might happen.
Local authorities have criticized Trump’s plans and said the federal government has provided little information on what to expect. Pritzker said agents could target Mexican Independence Day celebrations, and Grant Park’s El Grito Chicago festival was postponed by organizers for that reason.
Plans for the Saturday’s Pilsen parade carried on, but not without a large-scale volunteer mobilization effort spearheaded by United Merchants Pilsen Chamber of Commerce that stationed dozens of marshals throughout the parade route. Marshals were tasked with looking out for federal agents and were directed to blow whistles if they spotted an agent.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration, was one of many marshals at Saturday’s parade.
“We’re focusing on rapid response with these whistles,” Biss said. “We’re tasked with informing individuals of their rights, in not only bearing witness, but also taking video to make sure that we’re holding people accountable. And something that I’ve been doing in Evanston, I’ve been in networks that have been doing it across from our centers dealing with immigration.”
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