Chicago's Mexican Independence Day celebrations shadowed by Trump’s
threats for the city
[September 06, 2025]
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and BEN FINLEY
CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump's plan to dispatch National Guard
troops and immigration agents into Chicago has put many Latino residents
on edge, prompting some to carry their U.S. passports while giving
others pause about openly celebrating the upcoming Mexican Independence
Day.
Though the holiday falls on Sept. 16, celebrations in Chicago span more
than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants. Festivities
will kick off with a Saturday parade through the heavily Mexican Pilsen
neighborhood and continue with car caravans and lively street parties.
But this year the typically joyful period coincides with Trump's threats
to add Chicago to the list of other Democrat-led cities he has targeted
for expanded federal enforcement. His administration has said it will
step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, as it did in Los Angeles,
and would deploy National Guard troops to help fight crime. In addition
to sending troops to Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed them last month
in Washington, D.C., as part of his unprecedented law enforcement
takeover of the nation’s capital.
Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse,
local opposition is already widespread and includes suburban communities
with their own bases of immigrant communities. State and city leaders
have said they plan to sue the Trump administration.
Mixed feelings about postponing festivities
The extended Mexican Independence Day celebrations reflect the size and
vitality of Chicago’s Mexican American community. Mexicans make up more
than one-fifth of the city’s total population and about 74% of its
Latino residents, according to 2022 U.S. Census estimates.
Organizers of the regular community parades and festivals have been
divided over whether to move forward with precautions or postpone, in
hopes that it will feel safer for many participants to have a true
celebration in several months' time. In Pilsen, organizers said this
week that community safety should be prioritized. A downtown Mexican
Independence Day festival set for next weekend, though, was postponed
this week by organizers, who said the decision was made to protect
people.
“But also we just refuse to let our festival be a pawn in this political
game,” said Germán González, an organizer of El Grito Chicago.
In Pilsen and Little Village, two of the city's best-known neighborhoods
with restaurants, businesses and cultural ties to Mexican culture,
residents expressed disappointment at the fear and anxiety the potential
federal intervention was instilling within the community during a time
of year usually characterized by joy, togetherness and celebration of
Mexican American culture and heritage.
Some residents plan on celebrating with precautions
For Galiela Mendez, the decision to postpone El Grito Chicago was both
heartbreaking and understandable.
And while the nation's third-largest city has its problems, including
persistent gun violence in some areas, Mendez said Trump and his
supporters are maligning Chicago for political gain while disrupting
festivities for a large cross-section of the population.
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A bicyclist passes Definitive Selection clothing store, one of many
businesses in the predominantly Latino neighborhood that has seen a
slowdown in foot traffic since President Donald Trump's threats of a
federal law enforcement intervention, on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 in
Chicago. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
“It feels like a slap in the face,” the 25-year-old said. “I think
we are all on edge because it’s the same people that describes our
home this way, but they never come here and see it for themselves.”
Vianney Alarcon, 42, said she expects people to be targeted by
immigration officials regardless of their legal status.
“They're just going to catch and ask questions later,” she said.
But in an act of defiance, she'll be taking part in the festivities,
while bringing along her passport.
“I’m still going to celebrate my heritage,” she said. “And I know
for a fact that a lot of the people I know and the people commenting
on Facebook are going to show up, too. What are they going to do?
We’re not being disruptive if we’re celebrating properly.”
An air of uncertainty
Fabio Fernandez, 39, owner of 3W We Will Win, an art and T-shirt
company with a residency at a Pilsen streetwear shop, called it
“troubling” and “disheartening” that potential federal intervention
was impacting Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
“We shouldn’t fear or feel like we can’t walk the same streets that
we usually roam,” he said, adding that there was a mood of anxiety
and uncertainty in Pilsen.
This anxiety has translated to lower sales and reduced foot traffic
for local businesses like his, Fernandez said.
“The small businesses here can feel it, and other business owners
will say the same thing,” he said.
Fernandez said supporting local Latino-owned businesses is among the
best ways to show support during this time.
“Come back to 18th Street. Support small businesses here. They’re
still working hard as hell to keep their businesses alive,” he said.
Alejandro Vences, 30, became a U.S. citizen this year, “which gives
me some comfort during this time,” he said while eating pozole verde
at 5 Rabanitos, a local Mexican restaurant, on Friday afternoon.
Still, he said the anxiety is palpable.
“For us, our Independence Day has always been a celebration of our
culture," he said. “It’s always been a celebration of who we are. It
feels like we don’t get to celebrate our culture in the same way.”
___
Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia. Associated Press writers
Melina Walling in Chicago and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe contributed.
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