A Mexican-American flag flies as a parade participant on horseback flies a city of Chicago flag while Chicago's Mexican community proceeds with a Mexican Independence Day parade after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered increased federal law enforcement presence to assist in crime prevention, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. September 6, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska
CHICAGO (Reuters) -A normally raucous, colorful parade to mark Mexican Independence Day in Chicago turned quiet and nervous on Saturday as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he intended to ramp up deportations in the nation's third-largest city.
In a break from traditional celebrations, twirling folklorico dancers decked in glimmering jewelry and billowing, multi-colored dresses distributed "know your rights" pamphlets to sparse crowds in the city's historically Mexican Pilsen neighborhood. Horses wore the colors of Mexico's flag in their tails, while their riders wore neon-orange whistles around their necks in case they needed to alert attendees of Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents. Along the sidelines, volunteers also kept watch for ICE.
