Live Blog: Surge of immigration agents expected in Chicago

Bilingual updates on ICE activity and National Guard presence in Chicago

DePaulia Staff

September 4, 2025

Homeland Security Federal Protective Services agents wait on a tow truck to take away a food truck on the National Mall, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Washington. The owner says his employees were asked for immigration status by ICE and then he was told that the truck’s tires were bad and it would have to be towed, though he insists it recently passed DC inspection. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Trump has repeatedly discussed sending National Guard Troops to Chicago to address crime in the city, which he called a “hell hole.”

“We’re going in. I didn’t say when,” Trump said at the White House on Sept. 2. Gov. JB Pritzker has resisted Trump’s efforts, calling it an “overreach.”

On Tuesday, Trump said he would “love to have” Pritzker call him requesting troops. Pritzker said in response, “Let me be clear: The president is begging me to call him, to ask him to do something that we don’t want.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an Executive Order on Aug. 30 meant to protect residents if the National Guard and ICE arrive.

“We do not want to see tanks in our streets,” Johnson said at a City Hall event. “We do not want to see families ripped apart.”

According to the Mayor Katrina Thompson of Broadview, a “large-scale enforcement campaign” will be coming and is expected to last 45 days.

She said in an announcement, the Broadview immigration facility will be the “primary processing location.” The suburb is 12 miles away from downtown Chicago.

Additionally, the Pentagon authorized the use of Naval Station Great Lakes, just outside Chicago, as a staging ground for federal operations targeting undocumented immigrants.

Trump has already deployed the National Guard in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.

Trump has not yet confirmed when he will be sending the National Guard to Chicago, or how many he will send. He also said the administration is considering sending the Guard to New Orleans instead.

“We’re making a determination now,” Trump said on Sept. 3 to reporters in the Oval Office. “Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad?”

Editor’s Note: The distance of Broadview from downtown Chicago has been corrected.

— LiLi Jarvenpa, Editor-in-Chief

This is a developing story. Come back for updates below.

Check for Updates

El Grito postponed

Updated

Sep 04, 2025, 6:03 pm

Sofia Joseph, La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief

Popular Mexican festival postponed due to ICE, safety concerns

El Grito Chicago, a Mexican Independence Day festival, has been postponed due to immigration enforcement concerns.

That’s according to a Thursday announcement by the festival’s organizers.

“It was a painful decision, but holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake – and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take,” read El Grito Chicago’s statement on Instagram.

The two-day event was scheduled to take place at Grant Park starting Sept. 13. Food, live music, and attractions were planned for attendees.

Full refunds will be issued to those who purchased tickets through the festival’s website or TicketSignup. No rescheduled dates have been announced.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was concerned that ICE would target Mexican Independence Day events in Chicago during a news conference on Tuesday.

Michelada Festival, another Chicago Latine celebration, was cancelled last May also due to worries about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and artists’ visas. Other Latine cultural events, such as the Suenos Music Festival in May and Pilsen’s Fiesta del Sol in late July, went on despite ICE fears.

Other Mexican Independence Day celebrations are still set to proceed, including Little Village’s Annual 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade.

About the Contributors

DePaulia Staff

Sofia Joseph, La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief

Sofia is in her final year at DePaul studying journalism. She began writing for The DePaulia last year, forming a passion for reporting local news. She can’t wait to continue learning more about the people of Chicago and sharing their stories. Contact Sofia: [email protected]