Several thousand protesters marched in downtown Chicago on Saturday (September 6) to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to deploy federal troops to the city and ramp up immigration enforcement operations.

The protesters shouted and chanted their disapproval of Trump's policies, and carried signs such as "Abolish ICE" and "No Trump, No Troops".

On Tuesday (September 2), Trump said he would deploy National Guard troops to fight crime in Chicago, an extraordinary effort to militarise the country's third-largest city that was likely to trigger a legal battle with local officials. On Friday (September 5), Trump signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the "Department of War".

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat and vocal critic of Trump, said on Tuesday he believed ICE raids would coincide with Mexican Independence Day festivals scheduled for this weekend and next weekend. Some Mexican festivals in the Chicago area were postponed or cancelled amid fears of immigration raids.

ICE has not responded to requests for comment on whether it sent more agents to Chicago, and residents said they had not seen significantly stepped-up immigration enforcement so far.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 6, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PROTESTERS MARCHING IN CHICAGO BEHIND BANNERS READING (English): "NO TRUMP NO TROOPS" / "ABOLISH ICE, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, WE KEEP US SAFE, REPORT ICE SIGHTINGS: 855-435-7693"

2. PROTEST MARCH SEEN FROM BUILDING, MAN RECORDING PROTEST ON HIS PHONE

3. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING, CHANTING, AND HOLDING SIGNS

4. PROTESTERS HOLDING SIGN READING (English): "STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!"

5. PROTESTERS CHANTING "STAND UP, FIGHT BACK"

6. MARCH PASSING IN FRONT OF TRUMP BUILDING

7. MARCH PASSING IN FRONT OF CHICAGO THEATER

8. PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH POLICE OFFICER LINE OF BICYCLES ESCORTING THEM

9. POLICE OFFICERS WITH BICYCLES STANDING NEARBY