CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Organizers of one Chicago neighborhood’s Mexican Independence Day parade hope to celebrate their heritage this weekend despite expectations that a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation may be beginning around the city in the coming days.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are bracing for a multi-agency operation involving hundreds of federal officers. Although President Donald Trump is seemingly scaling back calls to immediately deploy the National Guard to Chicago, looming plans focused largely on immigration enforcement have caused some organizers of upcoming festivities to reconsider.
Rodolpho Alvarez, the president of the United Merchants of Pilsen Chamber of Commerce, told NewsNation that the group is planning for the parade to take place as scheduled on Saturday, but that organizers will shift if directed to do so.
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Parade officials have met with Chicago Police and other city departments that help run the event and said contingency plans are in place should ICE activity necessitate canceling the parade. Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16, which celebrates the beginning of Mexico’s struggle to gain its independence from Spain in 1810.
Alvarez, 72, has lived in the United States for more than 60 years after coming to the country from Mexico at age 12. Alvarez said that the committee that plans the parade is not concerned about participants, 95% of whom he said are legal U.S. residents.
But he fears that attendees could be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, both of which are expected to have agents and officers present in Chicago. He said that 25 activists are volunteering at the event to monitor the presence of federal officers who can alert people if immigration enforcement begins at the parade.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that volunteers will carry radios, cell phones and whistles to report any issues with federal immigration officers.
“Hopefully, nobody will be caught, but on the other hand, we hope that (ICE) doesn’t show up, but there is no guarantee of that,” Alvarez told NewsNation, adding, “Sometimes, I think this is nothing but politics. I feel like they’re just playing a game and getting people involved.
“In the long run, the community is losing because of the fear of the immigrants who don’t want to come out.”
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On Thursday, organizers of the El Grito Chicago festival, which was scheduled for Sept. 13-14 in downtown Chicago, announced that they have postponed their event due to potential ICE activity and the possibility of the National Guard’s deployment, according to NewsNation affiliate WGN.
Organizers said they decided to push the event back after conferring with state and local officials. They said they feared that the two days would be a “visible target.”
NewsNation requests seeking comment on the postponement of the event from Pritzker’s and Johnson’s spokespersons were not immediately returned on Thursday.
“This was a painful decision; however, with the heightened political tensions and given our location in downtown Chicago, we need to keep our community safe,” said German Gonzalez, organizer of El Grito Chicago. He added he worried about community members becoming “collateral damage”, which would be irresponsible.
“That’s a risk we are not willing to take,” Gonzalez added.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner on April 27, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)
Those planning the 54th annual 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood are taking the same approach. Like with the upcoming two-day festival, organizers of the Little Village parade say they will work with city officials to determine the best course of action.
Asked about his message to those who may attend celebrations beginning this weekend, Pritzker warned them to know their rights and to be “extra careful.” The governor said that ICE officers may be on the ground “and causing some mayhem,” but said, “don’t play into their hand.”
He further advised residents who encounter ICE to protest and capture video of any activity by officers and turn it over to local media organizations.
While some Mexican Independence Day celebrations are tentatively planned to go on as planned over the next two weeks, other events, such as the Fiestas Patrias Parade and Festival in suburban Waukegan, are being postponed until later this year due to the looming federal presence.
Earlier this year, Chicago’s annual Cinco de Mayo parade was canceled over ongoing fears of ICE conducting enforcement operations centered around deportations. Just weeks later, the Michelada Fest, one of Chicago’s most popular Latino music festivals, was also canceled due to looming concerns over immigration enforcement.
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Pritzker said this week that he is “deeply concerned” about federal operations that he said involved masked federal agents in unmarked vehicles raiding Latino communities. He accused White House senior adviser Stephen Miller of planning the operation in Chicago around Mexican Independence Day.
The governor said that his heart is broken that ICE would try to disrupt celebrations and “peaceful parades.”
“They’re simply celebrating their heritage,” Pritzker said this week. “They shouldn’t be interrupted in this way.”
Alvarez, the Pilsen parade organizer, said that despite plans for this weekend’s event to proceed as scheduled, Chicago police will make the final determination on whether it is safe for the festivities to continue.
Alvarez said that the celebration is a moment of pride for Chicago’s Hispanic communities. He said that although he and others who came to the United States from Mexico are grateful to be here and thankful for the opportunities they have found here, their heritage is also important.
But although there are no guarantees that federal officers will disrupt planned events in Chicago communities with large Latino communities, Alvarez said part of celebrating his community’s heritage is protecting it.
“I love the United States and I respect it, but the roots and the traditions are deeply inside every Mexican,” said Alvarez, the owner of Alvarez Hardware in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. “We expect to have a beautiful celebration and (hope) that everything can go according to plan.
“But if we have to cancel, we have to cancel.”
