Activists march on South Carpenter Street in the Lower West Side neighborhood to protest recent ICE arrests in the city and around the country Sunday June 8, 2025, in Chicago. The protest started at the Plaza Tenochtitlán and ended at Benito Juarez Community Academy. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson encouraged his city to protest the Trump administration’s immigration raids across the country. “I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment,” said Johnson, who is a Democrat. “Whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next.”

Thursday's protest was arranged by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and other organizations. Several hundred people marched from Congress Plaza to Trump Tower.

Thousands of people nationwide have shown up at protests and rallies opposing ICE raids as unrest grows in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

President Donald Trump called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand deportation efforts in Democratic cities and “do all in their power” to achieve mass deportations in a social media post Sunday.

Trump has called on ICE to expand operations to "detain and deport illegal aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York."