President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with a provocative social media post threatening to deploy his rebranded “Department of War” on Chicago, prompting widespread protests in the city and Washington, D.C.
The post, shared on Truth Social, featured an AI-generated image parodying the film Apocalypse Now, depicting Trump against a fiery Chicago skyline with the caption, “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning.’”
The administration’s plans to intensify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and possibly deploy National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities like Chicago have sparked outrage among local leaders and residents.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned Trump’s rhetoric, stating, “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson echoed this sentiment, calling the threats “beneath the honor of our nation” and accusing Trump of seeking to “occupy our city and break our Constitution.”
Protesters in Chicago, numbering over a thousand, marched with signs demanding “I.C.E. out of Illinois, I.C.E. out of everywhere,” while drawing parallels to other federal interventions in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Community leaders like Viviana Barajas vowed resilience, saying, “If he thinks these frivolous theatrics to undermine our sovereignty will shut out the passion we have for protecting our people, this is Chicago, and he is sorely mistaken.”
The looming threat of ICE raids has cast a shadow over Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day celebrations, particularly in the Pilsen neighborhood.
Traditional festivities, typically vibrant with folklorico dancers and packed crowds, were subdued, with some events canceled or postponed due to fears of immigration enforcement.
Parade participants distributed “know your rights” pamphlets, and volunteers stood watch for ICE agents.
Eddie Chavez, a Pilsen resident, noted the sparse attendance, saying, “This place would normally be packed. Now it’s empty, like a ghost town.”
Despite the fear, dancer Isabel Garcia affirmed, “We’re scared, but we’re here. We’re Mexican. We have to celebrate, and they’re not going to stop us.”
In Washington, D.C., demonstrators at the “We Are All DC” march denounced Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, citing the city’s historically low crime rates.
Critics, including former diplomat Mark Fitzpatrick, called the federal presence “an affront to the democracy of our city.”
Legal challenges have emerged, with a California court ruling that similar deployments in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
As Trump continues to suggest expanding operations to cities like Baltimore and New Orleans, Chicago braces for potential escalation while vowing to protect its residents’ rights.