Chicago is on edge as the city anticipates increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and a potential National Guard presence over the weekend.

Thousands of protesters assembled in downtown Chicago on Saturday to call for an end to the president’s intentions of sending more immigration officers and military forces to the city.

Demonstrations also took place outside the ICE processing center in the northern suburbs of Chicago, a location where undocumented immigrants may be temporarily held. The demonstrators shouted at ICE officials, who forcefully responded.

Local leaders warned that at least 300 federal agents would be using the naval base as an immigration enforcement command center.

During a parade in the Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday, attendees distributed “know your rights” cards and whistles to alert others if ICE agents appeared. Some noted that the turnout was smaller than usual, attributing it to fear, while others remarked that this parade generally draws fewer participants.

All of this coincides with the city’s annual Mexican Independence Day festivities.

President Donald Trump mentioned, “We’re going in,” when discussing a potential National Guard intervention to tackle crime, but Vice President JD Vance stated on Wednesday that there are no immediate plans to deploy the Guard to Chicago.

On social media Saturday, Trump commented that the city would soon “find out why it’s called the Department of War,” adding that he enjoys “the smell of deportations in the morning.”