Protesters are set to gather in downtown Chicago, Illinois this Saturday for the People’s March for Justice, an event organized to oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda. The march will begin at noon at Water Tower Park.
Key Focus of the March
Comprising more than 60 organizations, the People’s March for Justice is calling for immediate aid to Gaza, independence for Palestine, and an end to deportations of immigrants and refugees. The demonstration was initially scheduled for Trump’s inauguration earlier this week but was postponed due to severe cold weather.
Sanctuary Status Under Fire
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining Illinois and Chicago as sanctuary areas. This comes in the wake of threats from the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute officials who resist the president’s immigration enforcement policies.
Pritzker and Johnson reiterated their stance, pledging to defend working families and refusing to have local law enforcement assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with arrests.
“Any of the measures that the president is looking to execute against working people in the City of Chicago, we will defend our city,” Mayor Johnson said Thursday. “We will defend their rights to have a high-quality public education. He is working to dismantle the Department of Education.”
ICE Activity and Arrests
Following Trump’s inauguration, ICE has carried out over 500 arrests across the country. Although no arrests have been reported within Chicago’s city limits, some have occurred in the suburbs, raising concerns among immigrant communities.